LSC Event Descriptions

January 22 & 23, 2005

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The 27th Annual LSC Sci-Fi Marathon

Featuring special shorts, fun activities, extra refreshments, and a variety of sci-fi films. Admission at 7pm is $6, and drops to $3 after midnight. The Interfraternity Council is giving away FREE TICKETS Wednesday at 11am and Thursday at 1pm in lobby 10 as part of their Spring Recruitment events. You can come and go during the marathon as often as you like. There will be full refreshments selection all night plus a pizza order before Shaun of the Dead.

The marathon features five full length films, the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," and a variety of shorts including "The Chubb Chubbs," "Grinning Evil Death," and "Bambi vs. Godzilla."

Don't miss the replays of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and Shaun of the Dead on Sunday!

7:00pm - Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
8:45pm - order pizza
9:00pm - Shaun of the Dead
11:00pm - pizza arrives
12:00am - Code 46
2:00am - Star Trek: The Trouble With Tribbles
3:00am - Spaceballs
5:00am - Pitch Black


Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) (DTS)
January 22, 2005 at 7:00pm in 26-100 and
Replay on January 23, 2005 at 7:00pm in 26-100.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is set in 2032, when the line between humans and machines has been blurred almost beyond distinction. Humans have virtually forgotten what it means to be entirely human in both body and spirit, and the few humans that are left coexist with cyborgs (human spirits inhabiting entirely mechanized bodies) and dolls (robots with no human elements at all).

Batou is a cyborg. His body is artificial: the only remnants left of his humanity are traces of his brain and the memories of a woman called The Major.

A detective for the government's covert anti-terrorist unit, Public Security Section 9, Batou is investigating the case of a gynoid -- a hyper-realistic female robot created specifically for sexual companionship -- who malfunctions and slaughters her owner.

As Batou delves deeper into the investigation, questions arise about humanity's need to immortalize its image in dolls. Together, Batou and his partner must take on violent Yakuza thugs, devious hackers, government bureaucrats and corporate criminals to uncover the shocking truth behind the crime. [rottentomatoes.com]

"A stunning work of animation artistry and a compelling metaphysical inquiry into what constitutes humanity and machine."
      -- Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer. Read this review.

Rated PG-13
99 minutes


Shaun of the Dead (2004) (DTS)
January 22, 2005 at 9:00pm in 26-100 and
Replay on January 23, 2005 at 10:00pm in 26-100 and
Replay on January 29, 2005 at 8:00pm in 26-100.

Edgar Wright's horror-comedy film, Shaun of the Dead, follows the title character (Simon Pegg) through his mundane life in London. Joined by his immature and ever-present roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun excels at nothing except drinking pints of ale and watching television, which causes friction with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). Before Shaun can save his relationship, however, he's got to fend off a horde of zombies that are slowly taking over the city. Armed with a cricket bat and a vague sense of direction, Shaun must rescue his friends and loved ones, and bring them to the only safe place he can think of--the pub. [rottentomatoes.com]

"Ridiculous and heartfelt, it's both the funniest zombie movie and the scariest romantic comedy you're likely to ever see."
      -- Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly. Read this review.

Rated R
99 minutes

Code 46 (2003)
January 23, 2005 at 12:00am in 26-100.

Set in Shanghai in the near future, Code 46 takes place in a world where in-vitro fertilization, embryo splitting, and cloning have become so widespread that the government monitors all pregnancies to avoid incestuous births, whether on purpose or accidental. In Michael Winterbottom's science-fiction love story, Tim Robbins stars as Will, a fraud investigator who shows up at the huge Sphinx corporation to find out which employee has been making fake papelles--identity papers that allow people to travel. With an empathy virus inside of him so he can read people's minds, Will discovers that Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton) is the culprit, but he instantly falls in love with her and turns in someone else in her place, leading to a dangerous affair that jeopardizes his family, his career, and his life. [rottentomatoes.com]

"Winterbottom's depiction of a dystopian, chillingly circumscribed future is utterly believable and logical and his dreamlike love story, graced with note-perfect performances by Robbins and Morton, is one of the most moving of the year."
      -- Shlomo Schwartzberg, BoxOffice Magazine. Read this review.

Rated R
92 minutes

Star Trek: The Trouble With Tribbles (1967)
January 23, 2005 at 2:00am in 26-100.

When the U.S.S. Enterprise receives a top-priority order to protect a shipment of quadrotriticale grain on Deep Space Station K-7, Kirk is irritated to be guarding a shipment of "wheat." But the shipment is meant for famine-struck Sherman's Planet, and Klingons are taking shore leave on the space station. Adding to Kirk's irritation is Federation Undersecretary for Agriculture, Nilz Baris, and his pesty assistant, Arne Darvin, who inform Kirk that Starfleet Command is afraid the Klingons may try to steal the grain.

Another problem arises when a space trader, Cyrano Jones, gives Uhura a purring ball of fluff known as a tribble. Charmed by the creature, Uhura takes it back to the Enterprise. However, as McCoy soon learns, tribbles are born pregnant and the more they eat ... and they eat constantly ... the more they multiply. Soon the starship is overrun by the furry creatures.

Kirk soon finds that the bins that were once full of the precious quadrotriticale are now full of dead tribbles. The grain has been poisoned by a Klingon agent disguised as the Undersecretary's assistant, Darvin. His true identity is exposed when Kirk discovers that tribbles don't like Klingons (and vice-versa) and squeak whenever they're in near proximity. The Klingons leave the space station and Scotty rids the Enterprise of the tribbles by beaming them aboard the departing Klingon ship where, as he tells Kirk, "...they'll be no tribble at all." [startrek.com]

45 minutes

Spaceballs (1987)
January 23, 2005 at 3:00am in 26-100.

In this spoof of Star Wars and a handful of other sci-fi flicks from the 1970s and '80s, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog/half-man sidekick, Barf (John Candy), must rescue a spoiled Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in time to pay off Pizza the Hut. With Spaceballs, director Mel Brooks is at it again, this time with a science-fiction parody with all the blue-screen special effects and weird makeup (though in this film, things are always slightly off-kilter and unpolished). Here, maverick space travelers set out to save the planet Druidia, which is being harassed by the Spaceballs, a sinister group attempting to pilfer Druidia's air resources. Among the many gags and jokes is a hilarious parody of a classic scene from Alien. Mel Brooks himself makes one of his funniest acting appearances as Yogurt, a send-up of The Empire Strikes Back's Yoda. [rottentomatoes.com]

"...if you like the silliness, you'll enjoy this one, especially if you've seen your share of outer space sci-fi films."
      -- Brian Webster, Apollo Movie Guide. Read this review.

Rated PG
96 minutes

Pitch Black (2000) (DTS)
January 23, 2005 at 5:00am in 26-100.

A spacecraft carrying an assortment of passengers including Riddick (Vin Diesel), a dangerous, shackled murderer between prisons, is forced to make a crash landing on a barren, triple-sunned planet after the craft suffers severe damage during a meteor shower. The ship is ripped into pieces, killing several crew members and leaving meek officer Fry (Radha Mitchell) in charge of the survivors. After two unfortunate deaths, the survivors discover that the only visible life form on the planet is a species of light-fearing, carnivorous, occasionally cannibalistic aliens dwelling in caverns beneath the desert surface. Using a model of the planet and its suns in an abandoned research station, Fry deduces that she and her fellow travellers have unfortunately descended on the planet on the day of its first total eclipse in 22 years, giving them mere hours before they are bathed in total darkness. Only then is it safe for the hungry subterranean creatures to emerge, seeking to feed on the remaining survivors. However, the dangerous Riddick, through black market injections received in lock-up, is able to see in darkness- causing the surviving crew members to reluctantly remain dependent on the potentially harmful criminal. As the survivors are killed one by one by the hungry creatures, they realize that Riddick may be their only hope. [rottentomatoes.com]

"Pitch Black is relentless in its integrity; it's lean and mean and it doesn't waste time."
      -- Marty Mapes, Movie Habit. Read this review.

Rated R
110 minutes


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