Sigourney Weaver is 59 today, but a hot chick in a mech killing a monster alien remains a timeless image in the minds of sci-fi geeks everywhere. What? You prefer her as Zuul? Either way, it's unofficially movie night, more specifically documentary night, so read on and go get some popcorn. Just don't make a mess. CINEMATHEQUE: ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION In an election year as dysfunctional as this one, this documentary on the 2006 State Senate......

Happy birthday Social Security! Here's to another 73 years—or at least until we retire. NEIGHBORHOOD HEARTS AND HANDS: A CHILDREN’S PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT The children of the Goodlands Community Arts Program live in some of the roughest areas of the city. But that doesn't mean they can't do their part to empower themselves and their neighbors. As a project of the grassroots community-building organization Centro Nueva Creacion, Goodlands is focused on bringing the power of art......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. The teaser for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is up. This Phillyist had better start reading the book! Tarantino is that much closer to starting Inglorious Bastards, that glorious bastard! (Via) Local Geeks get some love from CBS3. Go geeks go! The Letter V. It’s all around you! What does an open source movie look like? Here’s the trailer. (Via)......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Metal!: Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal DVD screening at the Khyber (52 S 2nd), 8PM. Free Yoga in U City: Vinyasa Yoga with Maryte Curran every Monday at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut), 7PM. $10 Open Mic: Free at The Fire (412 W. Girard). Sign up at 8:30PM. (21+) Sing Your Life!: Karaoke With DJ Sara Sherr Mondays upstairs at the Khyber (56 S.......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend Witnesses or Svjedoci Set in a small town in Croatia during the civil war of the early '90s, this film adaptation of the novel Plaster Sheep tells the story of the investigation into the murder of a Serbian smuggler and loan shark. The story is told from multiple perspectives and only slowly does the reason for the murder become clear. Sounds interesting, and the majority of......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. The sad news has spread quickly across the internet that co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons Gary Gygax has died. A local blogger and former Phillyist read that article we posted yesterday about the decade's most misogynistic films and got so pissed he decided to analyze and deconstruct the entire thing in an impressive rant. Thanks, yagathai! Now we feel good about......

Monday challenges the average human to perform incredible feats of bravery and strength every week. It is the Goliath to our David, the Microsoft to our Yahoo!, the [insert viable presidential candidate here] to our Ron Paul. We do not choose it – it chooses us. Then it abuses us. Degrades us. Makes us to feel as if our feelings, if they exist at all, don't actually matter. Yes, we will say it, because......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. We have a release date for Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, and it is May 22, 2009. Production on the film starts in New Mexico on May 5th of this year. Director Peter Segal says although production on Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam was delayed by the writers' strike, the movie should still happen. The Oscars......

There is only so much to be said about Monday. We are running out of metaphors, puns and descriptive analogies. So, let's make a brief mention of walking etiquette. You can read a more in-depth discussion via a past edition of Monday Manners. The people who can't walk a straight line must be corralled into maintaining a steady course. Often, as was the case this morning, these people are not homeless or drunk: they......

Ever since I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—the wildly imaginative, deeply moving, incredibly insightful sci-fi/romance/drama/comedy with Jim Carrey that came out in 2004—I've been pretty keen to see what else writer-director Michel Gondry can do. I found his next fiction feature film, The Science of Sleep, ultimately unsatisfying, but just as imaginative and affecting as ESotSM. So I was thrilled to hear about Gondry's latest project: Be Kind Rewind. This film—set over the......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Most Likely to Rule: Be Kind Rewind Expect our review of this Michel Gondry comedy, starring Jack Black, Mos Def, and Danny Glover, later on this morning. Trailer - Freshness Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse The Band's Visit A fish-out-of-water comedy about the Ceremonial Police Band of Alexandria, Egypt arriving for a gig in Israel, only to find that their hosts and transportation have failed......

Some of you have off today. Others, not so much. In fairness, we will restrict today's list of things you should do to convince yourself that you are engaged and in tune with your city, if not the rest of your life, to things that fall into the "after work" category. LOST BOYS OF SUDAN STORYTELLING AT THE WHITE DOG CAFE Sudan's "Lost Boys" - children forced to become soldiers in the humanitarian nightmare......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. Ain't It Cool News claims to have found the final explanation for how Terry Gilliam will complete his film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus now that the star, Heath Ledger, is dead: apparently Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell will all fill in for Ledger in "a weird sort of I’m Not There-esque tribute to the actor." Huh. Well, that......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Academy Award Nominated Animated Shorts Academy Award Nominated Live-Action Shorts Wow, this is totally cool: the Ritz at the Bourse is actually screening all the animated and live-action short films that have been nominated for Oscars this year. These films are usually quite difficult to see, so this is a really neat opportunity. Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse George Romero's Diary of the Dead It's......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Some Art for the Wall: 5th Annual Emerging Artists and Emerging Leaders Art Auction, with entertainment by local guitarist Marisol Rampolla and an open bar, at Drexel University - Paul Peck Alumni Center (32nd and Market), 7PM. $10 There Are Some Who Aren’t?: Local author Lynn Hoffman reads from his novel bangBANG, the story of “a feisty Philly waitress,” at Molly’s Bookstore (1010 S. 9th), 7:30PM. Free......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. Chicagoist has discovered that animals like Obama for president. There's even a Venn diagram explaining it all! (Remember to digg it if you like it.) Exciting news! Warren Ellis announced late yesterday that he's launching a free weekly webcomic starting February 15th at FreakAngels.com. The plot sounds suspiciously like that of Umbrella Chronicles, but whatever. The point is, Warren Ellis webcomic!!!......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Cracked offers a horrifying (and hilarious) vision of what next year's Oscar nominees could be like if the writer's strike doesn't end (via). Meanwhile, Taco Bell has launched a contest on its website that offers striking WGA members a chance to win free food for a year (valued at $250) by "injecting fun and fresh bits of wisdom......

We're kicking off a new regular feature today, and here it is! "Can't Miss This!" should be going up every weekday for the foreseeable future and, as you may have already guessed, it'll feature a handful of events going on that day in and around the city that we think are so cool you should make sure not to miss them. Hope you enjoy it! Monday is a difficult day for most people. Also, the......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. A couple of new photos from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Stallone says there won't be any more Rambo or Rocky movies. Does he promise? In writing? Stallone was thankfully not referring to Son of Rambow, which looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. Check out the poster and the trailer on The Movie Blog. Using......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Massive: WZT Hearts, Wet Hair, Secret Abuse, Nimby, Evan Miller, Teeth Mountain, and Prince Hand Vs. Prince Hand at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut), doors 7:30PM. $5 Celebration: Opening reception for A Celebration of Life and Art, works by the late Marge Peterson, at Highwire Gallery (2040 Frankford), 5-9PM. Free Reading: David Levithan reads from his new short story collection, How They Met and Other Stories, at Giovanni’s......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Caramel This romantic comedy set in a Beirut beauty salon follows the lives, conversations, love affairs, and drama of the women customers, ultimately revealing that people are the same all over. Could be fun; anyway the critics seem to enjoy it. Trailer - Freshness Showing at: Ritz Five Most Likely to Rule: Honeydripper The latest film from critically acclaimed American independent filmmaker John Sayles is a......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Stealing Klimt: Showing of the documentary Stealing Klimt, part of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad), 7PM. $10 Does That Mean… Nevermind: Animal Style, Porktamer, and Joe Not Joe at Tritone (1508 South), 10PM. $5 Movie Monday at the Troc: Bring your balls to polish and come to the 10th anniversary party for The Big Lebowski at The Troc (1003 Arch), 7:30PM.......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Most Likely to Rule: Nanking We offered you free tickets to this movie earlier in the week, and as we said in that post, the film is a documentary about an event known as the Rape of Nanking, when the Japanese army invaded the Chinese city of Nanking in the winter of 1937 and murdered over 200,000 people, raping tens of thousands. A small group of......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. A painfully true video about what's really important to voters. It's composed mainly of NSFW language, so remember your headphones! (Via Jill) Basic Instructions discusses something of serious importance: How to Decide Which Star Wars Character You Are Most Like. Cloverfield's impressive opening weekend box office numbers make the possibility of a sequel seem pretty inevitable. Grindhouse is back up on......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Really, It’s Comedy: Die Actor Die hosted by Don Montrey and Juliette Pryor at the Khyber (56 S. 2nd), 8PM. $5 Double Feature: Two Hands and Beethoven’s Hair, part of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad), 7PM. $10 Fitting Tribute: The Philadelphia Orchestra, with the Philadelphia All City Choir, perform at Martin Luther King Jr. High School (6100 Stenton Ave), 7PM. Free......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Persepolis This film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, which was co-directed and co-written by Satrapi herself, along with Vincent Paronnaud, is getting amazing reviews. It follows the trials and tribulations of an outspoken Iranian girl during the Islamic revolution. The English language version of the film being screened here features the voices of Sean Penn, Gena Rowlands, and Iggy Pop, with Catherine Deneuve and......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. While we were watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles last night (which, btw, was surprisingly good), we saw a cool Dell commercial with a kick-ass soundtrack, and a quick Google search turned up the video, and the important information that the awesome song is a new, original track from Devo! Sweet. Elijah Wood said some interesting things about the upcoming Hobbit......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Support the Young Ones: Philadelphia Young Playwrights presents staged readings of two plays, both winners of its 2007 Annual Playwriting Festival, written by William Penn Charter students at the Philadelphia Art Alliance (251 S. 18th), 7:30PM. Free Movie Monday at the Troc: Eagle Vs. Shark DVD release and costume party (come dressed as your favorite animal and get a free drink), 7:30PM. The Troc is located at 1003......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. The perfect Valentine's Day gift for that gamer you have a thing for: Chocolate Miis! (Via Sarah) Comic book fans are so pissed about the recent change Marvel made to Spider-Man - using a deal with the devil to erase Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson - that even USA Today heard about it. For the record, we think it's stupid, too.......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Most Likely to Rule: Diva - The 1981 debut film from the director of the more recent Diving Bell and the Butterfly is about a famous opera singer who refuses to be recorded, and the fan who one night sneaks a tape recorder into her performance and tapes her anyway. Eventually the fan and the singer become friends, but there's also a labyrinthine plot involving two......