As the credits rolled on Get Smart, I thought to myself: "Ah. Well that makes sense." The missing piece to the puzzle? Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the creators of the original series, served as consultants on the film. My guess is that they're the reason things in the film, although silly, never got too over-the-top, and that as things began to near the top, there was just a little bit of restraint used. Which......

I entered the Ritz East with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. Excitement because, well, this was Sex and the City the movie. Fear because after six seasons of a fun (albeit not always well-written) show and a surprisingly satisfying finale, how could doing a follow-up movie possibly be a good idea? Turns out that both emotions were perfectly justified. There was plenty to be excited about: a reunion of four of my favorite television......

We want to go swimming. REELBLACK: SHOWCASING SHORT FILMS BY PEOPLE OF COLOR Sometimes, International House needs only to go interstate to find talent and creativity. The Reelblack Showcase gathers together some of the best work by African-American filmmakers in the tri-state area. Reelblack brings black filmmakers together to share their distinct perspectives and style. Tonight's event is a two-hour display and will include a Q & A session with many of the filmmakers. WHO:......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Flamenco Jam: First Friday Juerga, a flamenco jam session featuring collective playing, singing, and dancing hosted by Pasion y Arte at the Casino Free Philadelphia Office (230 N 2nd), 7PM. Free Bossa Nova: Bucks County native Avi Wisnia celebrates the release of his new Brazilian Bossa Nova inspired album at Tin Angel (20 S 2nd), 7:30PM. $10 The N Crowd: Improv comedy troupe the N Crowd perform......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Going Underground: The Underground Film Series at the Ukrainian League of Philadelphia (800 N 23rd) presents Radiophobia and Have You Ever Heard About Vukovar? at 8PM. Free Cellos Are Cool: Cellist Monica McIntyre performs at The Philadelphia Society for Art, Literature and Music (5841 Overbrook Ave), 8PM. $10 SATURDAY National Pretzel Day: In honor of this auspicious holiday Philly Pretzel Factory will be giving out three free......

Local music, a film screening with the director and an open casting call for a scary new reality show with a devilish prize. Tuesday is no longer the plain-Jane it has been wont to, uh, be, in the past. And the price tag is pretty nice, too. FOOLING APRIL AND WMMR AT DOC WATSON'S PUB We mentioned Fooling April in our Countdown to 2008 because they're an incredible local band. And the bar tends......

It's Monday. And there isn't much to do but work. MOVIE MONDAY AT THE TROC PRESENTS: JUNO We already told you how good we thought this movie was, and now we're telling you that it will be even better at the Troc. The folks over there have Monday night on a veritable lockdown. And you just can't beat the price. WHO: 21+ WHERE: Upstairs @ The Trocadero, 10th and Arch Streets (map) WHEN: Doors......

Provocative documentary director and activist Morgan Spurlock is at it again, this time turning a critical eye (and lens) on Al Qaeda with Where in the World is Osama Bin Ladin? After years of hype, chase and dire predictions of imminent showdowns, this public enemy #1 is still on the loose, and we're apparently no closer to apprehending him (or blowing him away). Not content to buy the Bush administration's rhetoric on the subject, Spurlock......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Rise and Fall of the Comics: Author David Hajdu discusses his latest book, The Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, at the Central Branch of the Free Library (1901 Vine), 7PM. Free Fancy Pants: Fancy Pants Cinema, short films by local filmmakers, in the Lounge at North Third (801 N. 3rd), “starting long after 10PM.” Free every Tuesday (if you have a......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: The Music of Regret: Artist Laurie Simmons introduces her The Music of Regret, a mini-musical in three acts, as part of the ICA Puppet Show, at the International House (3701 Chestnut), 7PM. $6 Thinking Is Hard: "Critical Thinking," a panel discussion of Philly’s One Film The Emperor of the Sun, at World Café Live (3025 Walnut), 7PM. Free Drinking Is Not: Test your knowledge of The Emperor of......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Check out this sweet poster for Takashi Miike's latest project, Sukiyaki Western Django. Here's hoping they manage to get a copy of this one for the Philadelphia Film Festival... We think we've already said this before, but each successive trailer for Iron Man makes us exponentially more excited about seeing the film, and the latest one is no exception. Hot damn, this movie......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: Better Late Than Never: Anne Lamott reads from her latest book Grace (Eventually) at the Free Library of Philadelphia Central Branch (1901 Vine), 7PM. Free Don’t Shoot First: Space 1026 (1026 Arch) converts their space into the Mos Eisley Cantina for their food show and potluck tonight from 7-10PM. $5 (Free with a dish to share—they request special brownies) Feeling Like Some Lebanese: "Improvisation and Emotion in......

It's cold out today, so don't plan on any of that trendy "frolf" you and your phellow Phishers like so much. No, today is definitely an inside day, so we have done our best to bring some most excellent indoor activities in which you may indulge the warmth-loving tendencies of your evening self. THE ENGLISH BEAT AT THE TROC We'll admit that we don't know much about The English Beat, but if they're touring......

Well, The Philadelphia Experiment, at least. (In fairness, it does really look awful.)......

Sometimes, there are videos that, while not really relevant to Philadelphia, just cannot go without posting. Gary Busey's behavior on the Oscar red carpet last night is one such video. Enjoy.......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Combat Footage: “Steven Spielberg, Special Effects, and the War Film,” a workshop examining Spielberg's use of special effects in Empire of the Sun and other works, at Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut, 3rd Floor), 6PM. Free (Part of One Film, One Philadelphia) Die Actor Die: Die Actor Die, comedy of many stripes, standup, sketch, and “other silly brick-a-brac” hosted by (Phillyist) Don Montrey at the Khyber (56 S.......

Ah, the teen comedy. It's one of those genres that just won't die, and why should it? When we're younger, we get a glimpse of what might be. When we're actually teens, we're able to gaze upon an alternate reality: "Mine's not like this, but maybe someone else's is." And upon reaching adulthood, we can view the films and laugh at how unrealistic their premises are, and yet how real some of their characters seem......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Famous Films II: The Secret Cinema presents a second installment of their Famous Films series, including A Trip to the Moon (you've seen clips, trust us), at the Moore College of Art and Design (20th and Race), 8PM. $7 Jeannie Gagne: Jeannie Gagne at the Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive—West Mt. Airy), 8PM. $10 Cold: Absolute Zeros, Parsnip Revolt, and Dylan McGuire at Fergie’s Pub......

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......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Chicken!: Wissahickon Chicken Shack at the Dawson Street Pub (100 Dawson), 9:30PM. Free One Film to Rule Them All: Kick off One Film, One Philadelphia with a screening of Empire of the Sun at Moore College (N. 20th and the Parkway), 6PM. Free New Idioms: Ongoing concert series by Bowerbird, featuring artists working in composed, electronic and electroacoustic music, free improvisation, and other creative, genre-defying forms, at the......

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......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Small Changes: Smells Like Teen Spirit and Building a Broken Mousetrap, two films by Jem Cohen, presented by the Small Changes film screening series at the International House (3701 Chestnut), 7PM. $7 Solstice Film Series 07: Third installment of the Solstice Film Series, a showcase for short independent films, at National Mechanics (22 S. 3rd), 8PM. Free Single Mingle: Perfect Pairings Tasting Event, benefiting Philly PAWS (the Philadelphia......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Puppets!: Doug and Mike’s Adult Entertainment at the Institute of Contemporary Art (118 S. 36th), 6PM. $6 Further Afield—But Worth It: The Best of Black Lily Film and Music Festival 2007 at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute (824 W. Lancaster), 7PM. $9.25 It’s Just a Flesh Wound: Fred Is Dead and Joe Jordan’s Experiment at Tritone (1508 South), 10PM. $5 Quizzo Mania: Get your Quizzo on at 12......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Certain Tragedy: Certain Tragedy, The Bourbon Armory, The Sweetheart Parade, and Johnny Forbin at the Khyber (56 S. 2nd), 8PM. $8 Five Bands Five Dollars: Drive Fast Take Chances, Mr. Radar, Skeleton Rock Shock, The Slot Cars, and Jessy Tomsko Band at the North Star Bar (2639 Poplar), 8PM. $5 Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: If the Opera’s Not Your Thing: Cyrano de Bergerac with Gerard Depardieu at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute (824 W. Lancaster Ave), 7PM. $9.25 Jeff Kessler: Jeff Kessler, Kyle Herring, and Sarah Marie White at Upstairs at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut), 7PM. $8 Feel Bad About Your Shoes: Fashion’s Environmental Footprint, a talk about the real cost of cheap clothing by Heather Iwanow at Ruth Auditorium/Nesbitt Hall......

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.......

You've still got a few weeks to enter, so get to work.......

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......