Geek chic

EmpireCon will host a Geek Pride Celebration at the Palace Theater on Saturday, May 21. Geek Pride Day was originated in Albany by Tim McEachern in 1998. Over time May 25 was selected for the holiday as it happens to be the original release day of “Star Wars.” Science fiction readers also know it as “Towel Day,” the day fans pay tribute to Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy.”

Screenings begin at 11 a.m. with films expressing the joys of geek culture such as documentaries “Ringers: Lord of the Fans” and “Second Skin,” a look at the benefits and risks of online-gaming communities. Television series with a slant towards geek life are also included, as are Web series and clips, some created by Upstate New York filmmakers.

The highlight of EmpireCon will be the evening’s 35mm film screenings of two recent fan favorites, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” based on the graphic novels about a Toronto slacker who views life through the filter of a video game, and “Paul,” the alien road trip comedy featuring Seth Rogen as the voice of Paul the alien.

Admission costs $10; empirecon.org; 491-0430.

Ballet on big screen

“The Red Shoes,” the 1948 movie which brought ballet to the masses, will be screened by the Syracuse Cinephile Society at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 23, at the Spaghetti Warehouse.

Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the color film stars Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Robert Helpmann and Leonide Massine.

“This legendary film put ballet on the cinematic map,” said Cinephile spokesman Gerry Orlando. “The 22-year-old Shearer is radiant in her screen debut as the prot g of a powerful impresario (Walbrook) who tries to dominate her life.”

Spaghetti Warehouse is located at 689 N. Clinton St., near Syracuse’s Inner Harbor. Admission to each Cinephile screening costs $3, or $2.50 for Cinephile members. For dinner reservations, call 475-1807.