In just over a week, 2015 will come to a close. That means it’s time for that most joyous of traditions — the year-end list! Everywhere you turn, lists of the best, the worst, the most and the least are springing up, informing you about all the cool shit that…
This past week has been a big one at my house, with two ongoing major life milestones for my little girl. First, my wife decided that now that the kiddo’s fourth birthday is on the horizon — she’s almost exactly three-and-a-half — it’s time to stop fucking around and get…
The latest entry in the Mad Max series offered a lot of great things — flamethrowers, fast cars and, of course, feminism. Yeah, you read that right: feminism. Now you can relive the glorious action-movie explosions and all the feminist subtext at “Feminism in the Time of the Apocalypse: Mad…
There’s snow on the ground and you can’t leave the house without being assaulted by Christmas music or getting poked in the eye by a festive fir tree, and that can mean only one thing: You’d better start shopping. As every media outlet is hellbent on reminding us, the only…
Soon it will be time to hang our stockings with care, but even well before Santa visits, we geeks will be awash in gifts. December is far from the most geek friendly month of the year, but there’s still no shortage of nerdy fun to be had. From Star Wars celebrations…
Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have a lot to be thankful for this year. No, it’s not just the usual opportunity to do a DIY Turkey Day marathon (although that is always reason to be thankful), but something really special: the return of the show! Thanks to the magic of Kickstarter,…
Some combinations, like peanut butter and chocolate, are self-evident. No one needs to tell you those two are going to work great together; it’s obvious if you’ve tried them both. Others, like chicken and waffles, are a little weirder, but just as great once you try them. Paul Verhoeven’s 1997…
One of my geek heroes, Daniel Manus Pinkwater, turns 74 on Sunday, November 15. Although he’s best known as the author of many kids’ and YA books, he’s an NPR personality and accomplished illustrator as well. It was in his guise as an author that I came to know and…
It’s been a long time since Ash strapped a chainsaw onto the spot where his missing hand should be, slung a shotgun over his shoulder and went hard on some Deadites. Too goddamn long. As great as it was, Army of Darkness came out more than twenty years ago —…
After October ends, the next holiday on the calendar is Thanksgiving — and there are many reasons to be thankful for being a geek here in Denver. November may lack the nerd cred of October — Thanksgiving is a pale substitute for Halloween, even if you include an MST3K Turkey Day…
The most wonderful day of the year is almost here! Halloween will be here — and gone! — before we know it, but there’s still time to go hard on the holiday’s best tradition — spooky movies. Since I typically spend the entire month of October binging on horror movies,…
Being a parent to a preschooler is never easy, but it’s even harder if your job and creative outlet terrifies your poor offspring, as local cartoonist Stan Yan discovered when his son was three. “I have all this zombie art hanging from the walls [in the basement] and our laundry…
This weekend, Dismember the Alamo will host its second Halloween mystery-movie marathon: four movies, not to be revealed until they start, plus a special guest tied to one or more of the films. When I spoke to Steve Bessette, creative manager of the Alamo Drafhouse in Littleton, he promised me the program…
There’s really nothing scary about zombies when they’re solo. They’re slow. They’re stupid. They’re not much stronger than a normal person, and they’re a hell of a lot less coordinated. It’s like being confronted by a really drunk guy who wants to hug it out, and maybe bite your face…
When I was nineteen, my mother-in-law (the first one, I’ve had a couple more since) asked if I’d ever seen Psycho and I said something stupid: “No, but I know the whole deal, so I don’t really need to.” I will never forget the look she gave me in response;…
October is here, and horror is in the air! Speaking of horror, the Internet has been in something of a furor over the past few days, losing its collective shit over a rumored remake of The Exorcist. Oh, the horror! Sure, it looks like that was all a tempest in…
The Mile High Horror Film Festival is almost here, and that means it’s time to turn out the lights and scare yourself stupid. This year’s festival offers a slate of incredible retrospective films, from “respectable” classics like The Shining to gorehound favorites like Saw. Along with the old favorites, an impressive…
At long last, Geektober is almost here! Yes, the rest of the world may know it by its traditional name, October, but geeks know the month really belongs to us. Don’t believe it? Just have a look at Denver’s lineup of great geek fun for the month and you’ll be…
Fall is here, which means football season is here, which means fantasy football is back! How’s your team? (Just kidding: No one who’s not in your league cares.) Sadly, it also means the tired, lazy comparisons between fantasy football and Dungeons & Dragons are back. Whether it’s a meme like…
Anyone can make a zombie movie. All you need is some buddies, a camera and a few gallons of fake blood. An idea or two helps, and a little talent can go a long way, but plenty of these low-to-no-budget backyard zombie epics get made without either. Sometimes — very…
Fantasy, as a genre, can feel pretty tired after a while. The same themes — prophesied heroes saving the world, ancient evil uniting reluctant warriors to a common cause — crop up again and again. The same mythology — elves and dragons, swords and sorcery, knights and kingdoms — is…
The universe of action movies is a strange and magical place. Good guys never miss. Bad guys never hit (or when they do, it’s always a flesh wound with less effect than a hangnail). Explosions liquefy bystanders and bad guys, but merely leave the heroes smeared in soot and sweat…
