Five of My Favourite: Male Nerds and Geeks from TV

Well, here's my extra post, I'm doing a review this weekend. I thought I'd continue with another fun post, and since I've done the my top five female geeks and nerds, I thought I'd do my five of my favourite guys too. 

Please note as usual, that the list is in no particular order.

1] Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory

A theoretical physicist, a science-fiction geek and a gamer to boot, Sheldon is probably one of the most famous nerds on television at the moment. 

I have heard that some people in the nerd/geek community do not like the Big Bang Theory because it essential mocks nerds, and though I love the show, I can see what they mean sometimes. The other male characters can seem a little embarrassed about nerdiness, especially with their girlfriends, except for Sheldon. He doesn't apologise for being nerd - or anything really, but that's beside the point. In fact he is often surprised, and pitiful, that more people don't know or care about sci-fi and science - and I personally think that's one of the things that makes him so cool. 


2] Kowalski - The Penguins of Madagascar

You've probably all seen or heard of the four penguins from the Madagascar films who act like they're a special forces unit. Well the characters were so popular they got their own spin-off series - and it is fantastic. 

Kowalski is the genius inventor, scientist and general Q of the team - and probably my favourite character. Known for inventing incredible contraptions, he has a touch of the mad scientist about him. It should also be noted that despite understanding physics and once owning a Higgs Boson - he can't actually read. However, he is a penguin and unlike some other television scientists he can fight and is always involved in missions. 

3] Pete Lattimer - Warehouse 13

Pete Latimer is the goofy, often childish partner of Myka at the Warehouse. He is also a comic-book geek and has collected almost every issue of The Iron Shadow, who his favourite superhero - we even see him wear a Iron Shadow T-shirt. 

4] Dr Rodney McKay - Stargate Atlantis

A physicist and  engineer who has worked with stargates, he is the Head Scientist on Atlantis. He's also the guy who normally ends up solving the team's big problem, whether that's fixing a machine or finding a way to escape a volcano in a spaceship. Hints throughout the series suggest he is also Star Trek and Batman fan. 

5] The Doctor - Doctor Who

I have to admit I was unsure about putting the Doctor on this list, unlike the others who are sort of just ordinary but very intelligent or passionate people, he is an alien. His people are more science based and inherently smarter than us. Then again this list includes a penguin so, I say no criteria applies. 

The Doctor of course has a vast knowledge of science, from astrology to engineering to physics and a myriad of other subjects. I guess he also seems to embody other traits I associate with geeks and nerds - passion for technical stuff, the fact his superpower is his intelligence, the fact he can often be goofy or speak in a load jargon. The Doctor is almost all knowing but also all round brilliant.

Scene 12: The Pirates! in an Adventure with Film

I've just been to see the new Aardman film Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists (or Pirates! Band of Misfits if you're in America), and without giving anything way, I have to say it was really good. 

I really like stop-animation films, there is something about stop-animation, the way the characters move, their facial expressions that's so just charming. 


This film in particular was very sweet. It had the traditional underdog betrays friends over fame plot, but it was done well. It also had an amazing voice cast from Hugh Grant, David Tennant and Martin Freeman with appearances from Lenny Henry and by the looks of the end credits, a cameo from  Mr Peter Lord of Aardman himself! 


The film isn't as laugh out loud funny as I expected, and plot is a familiar one, though that ironically enough, is to be expected - after all you can't have a miserable ending in a feel good film can you? 


However, that doesn't really matter because the message is still just as important and  because the film is still a fun ride, with a cast of characters I enjoyed watching. 


The film also, in my opinion, has a warmth and sweetness to  it - the crew are sort of genuine and  slightly innocence characters, especially in the case of the Albino Pirate, and have an unfailing loyalty to the Captain. The scene where they sit waiting for the Pirate Captain on Ham Night reminded me of a family waiting for a missing member before they could eat - and in many ways the ship's crew is one big supportive family, and that really endured them to me. 


Meanwhile, animation itself is incredible, the sets are vast and atmospheric, and full of detail. The CGI sea doesn't take away from the animation either, but blends in naturally, and I think, looks better than perhaps stop-motion water would have done. As usual there are lots of little quirks in the animation to look out for, and I'll probably have to see it again to appreciate and spot them all!


In short, if you want something full of fun and warmth that will cheer you up, or you just want to see a panoramic, beautiful piece of stop-motion animation, this is the film!