Nine Nerdy Things to Do This November in Metro Phoenix

The pumpkins are in the garbage, retail stores are playing a stream of Christmas songs, and your mom is planning Thanksgiving with the drive of a NASA engineer in 1968. As this year winds down and we head into the holiday season, let's make this a November to remember with some movies and other nerdy events.

Blue Man Group, the enigmatic trio of body-painted mutes, will return to ASU Gammage this month. For the uninitiated, Blue Man Group put on an impressive show of controlled chaos and sensory bombardment. It kind of feels like a concert put together by the sharpest minds at Tesla after Elon Musk slipped a substantial supply of LSD into the company water cooler.

Blue Man Group will let their show speak for itself from Friday, November 15, to Sunday, November 17. Showtimes vary. Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased through the official ASU Gammage site.

There are about four different versions of this 1982 science-fiction classic. However, The Final Cut represents the true vision of director Ridley Scott. Plus, if you think Rutger Hauer's epic soliloquy was goosebump-inducing even before he died this year, then try watching it on the big screen. It's enough to make even the most hardened replicant tear up.

Blade Runner will play at Tempe's Alamo Drafthouse on Saturday, November 16, and Sunday, November 17. Both showtimes are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased through the official Alamo Drafthouse Cinema site.

When Hollywood green-lit Christmas Vacation, they probably never expected it to become the tradition it has. The comedy shows that Christmas movies can have SWAT team ambushes, squirrel attacks, and electrocuted house cats.

Pollack Tempe Cinemas will show this classic from Sunday, November 17, to Wednesday, November 20. Tickets can be purchased on the website.

flickr / Andrei Lepekhov

A unique point of view is one of the greatest weapons in a comedian's arsenal, and Trevor Noah serves as a prime example of this. When you combine that with his sharp insight into our current political climate, you are left with a comedy show in a league of its own.

Trevor Noah will pay a visit to Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday, November 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

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Pauly shores up in the Valley.

Tempe Improv

Pauly Shore was a VJ during MTV's transition from hair metal to grunge, became the leading man in some of the highest-grossing comedies of the '90s, and helped shake the negative connotation that comes with the word "weasel."

He's also comedy royalty. Shore grew up at the Comedy Store while his mother ran the joint, so humor runs deep in his marrow. With years of maturation and career highs and lows, Shore has a lot to talk about, so please lend an ear.

Pauly will weasel his way over to Tempe Improv on Saturday, November 23. Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the Tempe Improv site.

Alamo Drafthouse

If there's one thing the Friday the 13th franchise taught us, it's that there isn't a grave that can hold Jason Voorhees. But for one night at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, audiences will get to see the hockey-masked psycho zombie in DIY form. The F13th Fan Film Mixtape is a collection of fan-made indie shorts. Put aside any thoughts of copyright infringement, and come see the slasher as you've never seen him before.

This mixtape is set to drop on Monday, November 25, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased through the official Alamo Drafthouse site.

Steve Martin and John Candy's chemistry in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles brought it to another level. The tale of an annoyingly optimistic salesman and an intensely cynical marketing exec who find themselves trapped in a traveling nightmare has delighted fans for over thirty years.

This late-November cinema classic will play at Chandler's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema from Tuesday, November 26, to Thursday, November 28. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased through the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema site. 

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The Meat Puppets rock.

Sonia Bovio

The Meat Puppets inadvertently influenced such acts as Nirvana and Soundgarden. They put on a great show wherever they are, but a hometown show adds a whole other layer.

The Meat Puppets will revisit Crescent Ballroom on Friday, November 29, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and can be purchased through the venue's website.

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Mike Enders reveals the funny side of love.

Courtesy of Mike Enders

Mike Enders hosts a monthly standup showcase where local comics tell tales of past heartbreaks, but with a turn of the dial that elicits solid laughs instead of sorrowful sympathy. Take that breakup baggage to Enders and let him lighten the load as only he can.

Get Love S!ck at Valley Bar on Friday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door, and can be purchased through Ticketfly.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article included a listing for Cheech and Chong at Wild Horse Pass. The show has been canceled. Those who bought tickets can either keep their tickets for when the show gets rescheduled or request a refund.

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