Geek Culture

Dallas-Fort Worth site Reservoir Geeks keeps things uniquely nerdy

Andy Carl Valentin and Chris Durbin are the founders of Reservoir Geeks.

Courtesy photo

If you're shopping at Ross, you're probably paying more attention to bargains than the background soundtrack. But there's a nerdy website in Dallas-Fort Worth that has actually documented the discount chain's top 10 catchiest tunes. (No. 1: Ace of Base's "All That She Wants.")

Called Reservoir Geeks, it's a passion project from founders Andy Carl Valentin and Chris Durbin, who head up a stable of six writers. All have day jobs and contribute to the site in their spare time.

Content-wise, it's a free-for-all and a work in progress, Valentin says.

"We're still getting our footing and figuring out topics to cover," he says. "But we believe that if it's interesting to us, it's interesting to other people."

While the dominant topic is film, posts have ranged from a reverie over the obsolete Apple Newton PDA device to a photo essay of beautiful beaches to a list of the "6 worst people to take to the movies."

They initially launched Reservoir Geeks in 2009, but shelved it in 2010 as they took a break to work on other projects, including an early dabble in the world of podcasts.

"I’d just gotten divorced and Chris just got a house in Burleson," Valentin says. "We were bored so we started a podcast. It was before podcasts really blew up and it was tough to explain to everyone what it was."

If it's not evident by the name of their website, which references the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs, the duo has a strong interest in film, which led to their masterminding a fund-raiser in 2011 to help save a Texas landmark.

"We did an event at the motel in Hillsboro used in Wes Anderson's movie Bottle Rocket," Valentin says. "It ended up being really big and we got a lot of notoriety for it. We did the event seven times before deciding to move it to every five years."

In February, the two plan to helm two new podcasts, one focused on pitching ideas for movie remakes. Future hopes and dreams include daily posts and the addition of YouTube videos. The sky's the limit.

inspiration

Wicked Witch News

See the costumes from box office smash Wicked on display in Arlington

Photo by Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Glinda's pink bubble dress will be one of the items on display.

Fans of the movie adaptation of the musical Wickedwill soon be able to get up close and personal with the box office smash when the Arlington Museum of Art debuts a collection of costumes and more from the film in 2025.

Running January 17-April 27, "Wicked Threads: The Artistry of Costume in Oz" celebrates the artistry of the costume design and the 20+ year history of the beloved Broadway musical.

Curated by the Arlington Museum of Art, the exhibition will feature original costumes, props, and images from the film, provided by NBCUniversal Archives & Collections. Highlights from the exhibition will include Glinda’s “bubble” dress and Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity” costume.

The costumes were designed by Academy Award-nominated costume designer Paul Tazewell, who was no stranger to the world of Oz, having designed five productions of The Wiz.

“Costuming and filmmaking is an exciting form of visual art and storytelling," said Kendall Quirk, AMA Director of Exhibitions, in a statement. "The AMA is always excited to showcase the work of these artists, especially in our free community gallery spaces. We hope to see emerging designers, filmmakers, and other visual artists come to enjoy these costumes from such a universal story."

The film adaptation of Wicked, which earned over $110 million in its first weekend of release, is based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by legendary Grammy and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and book by Tony nominee Winnie Holzman.

A prequel to The Wizard of Oz, it is the origin story of how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda Upland became Glinda the Good. It’s a story of an unlikely friendship between two young women - one ostracized, one adored - and how the untapped power of one will reshape their lives and Oz, forever.

"Wicked Threads: The Artistry of Costume in Oz" will be on display in the community art space at the Arlington Museum of Art, where all visitors can view the exhibition for free, with no tickets required for entry.

movies exhibitions-visual-arts