SHATNER'S WORLD

Proving, once again, that there is no end to Hollywood's repackaging of franchises and exploiting of nerds, it was announced recently that J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films will be touring the country for a series of screenings featuring live musical accompaniment. The Star Trek concert series will be accompanied by an orchestra that will perform the presumably recognizable scores of the two Star Trek reboots. A similar series was done with the Lord of the Rings movies - a concept that makes substantially greater sense, considering the sweeping nature of those films.

In a related story, William Shatner will be beamed into theaters across the country on Thursday, the 24th, with a performance of his one-man show, ridiculously titled Shatner's World. Ignoring the fact that anyone willing to spend money to see Shatner rap about his life will almost definitely have heard everything there is to hear about the man, Shatner has never shied away from capitalizing on his fan base's adulation.

Anyone expecting a reprise of his glorious team-up with Ben Folds and Joe Jackson for his "Common People" cover should probably look elsewhere - though I do long to see the smirking giddiness that would spread across Joe Jackson's face every time he found himself duetting with Captain Kirk. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24, theaters in Federal Way, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila

PARTICLE FEVER

For those interested in something with a more scientific take on, er, science, than Star Trek has to offer, a fascinating documentary is opening at The Grand Cinema.

Particle Fever is the exploration of the development and launch of the Large Hadron Collider. Ten thousand scientists from all around the world collaborated to create the Collider, which was designed to recreate the conditions that existed in the wake of the Big Bang. Those following the news of the past couple years know that the result was the discovery of the Higgs boson (AKA the "God particle"), which has long been the missing link in our understanding of just why we exist.

Reviews of the film have emphasized the notion that even the least science-minded audiences have become wrapped up in the story of these scientists investigating the nature of being, as heady as that sounds. Supposedly, the masterful filmmaking allows even the layman to get invested in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. I'm reminded of The Social Network, which managed to make a jerk typing on the computer seem utterly compelling and, dare I say, suspenseful.

Particle Fever is intriguing enough to stand up against its more high-profile competitors (The Grand Budapest Hotel and Joe) at The Grand Cinema. Personally, I can't wait to see it. Opens Friday, April 18, The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett, Tacoma, $4.50-$9, 253.572.6062