Walkie Talkie Blog
CIAO, RICARDO! >>> Rick Dupea has called the Tacoma-Parkland area home since 1964, but you won't find many of his clients in this neighborhood. As owner of CRE8TV Media Group (you can pronounce it "creative" or "create TV"), Rick over the years has, like many of us, commuted north for work,
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INSIDE GINNY RUFFNER'S WORLD >>> A few minutes into the documentary A Not So Still Life, a nameless woman peers into the camera, her features massive on the screen. We, the unseen voyeurs shielded by a lens, have momentarily become the observed. But the woman can't see us, only a thick
Walkie Talkie Blog
NOW PLAYING AT THE GRAND CINEMA >>> The grand old Duke of York His stammer was the worst, But Dr. Logue, that charming rogue Taught him to scream and curse! Since its release, the buzz surrounding The Social Network seemed as ubiquitous as its namesake. But on Tuesday Jan. 25 the Academy announced its Oscar
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ISAAC OLSEN'S APPETITE FOR FILM >>> Sometimes a building's exterior, its face to the world, is almost as difficult to read as a person's face; both can conceal much of the activity buzzing behind the surface. While its neighbor, Chase Bank, devours the attention of most passersby, a piece of Spaceworks
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AWARD SHOW EXCITEMENT >>> The Golden Globes! GOLDEN GLOOOOOOOBES!!! WOO-HOO! Wow. I didn't know I got so pumped from an awards show where, without fail, I take in maybe four-percent of the works nominated. But hey, with today's movie ticket prices, I find it way more economical just to see my fave
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A TRUE FAMILY PLOT >>> The high from Hollywood's last-minute holiday batch of Oscar contenders and decades-old franchise rehashes has somewhat fizzled and been replaced by the January doldrums. (Season of the Witch, anyone?) But the lull hasn't stopped local filmmakers like Rick Walters from busily completing projects in time for
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THE REVEREND COLIN SHOWS US THE LIGHT OF BAD FILMS >>> Off the top of my head I can't think of many film clubs led by a kilted ordained minister who moonlights as a karaoke host and (according to his business card) gun-for-hire. Except for one. God bless this town. The Reverend Colin,
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ANOTHER YEAR >>> We had some times in 2010, you and I, times indeed. The nerds had their revenge this year for sure: We watched an ever-wimpy Michael Cera inexplicably annihilate his girlfriend's legion of almighty exes (epic!). We witnessed socially inept Jesse Eisenberg (Hollywood's "other" Michael Cera) build a web
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SMILE, PARKLAND, YOU'RE ON CAMERA >>> Inspiration comes largely from observation, from noticing the unique in the mundane. The seed of an idea may come from a book, a building's architecture or, in actor-turned-director Mick Flaaen's case, two people outside Northern Pacific Coffee Company near Pacific Lutheran University. And voilà - Flaaen's
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NEWS IN FILM AND VIDEO, REGURGITATED HERE >>> These days in Tinseltown, comedy icons are dropping like flies (or really old white males in poor health). A few weeks ago we mourned the passing of 84-year-old Leslie Nielsen, which I commemorated by renting Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, and
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RARE EXPORTS DEBUTS AT THE GRAND WITH FREE SCREENING THURSDAY >>> "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..." growls the tongue-in-cheek voiceover during the trailer for Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a Finnish import debuting at The Grand Cinema with a Dec. 16 free screening. Will this
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ENJOYING ART AT WORK MONTH IN THE DARK >>> As of this posting, only 20 days remain of Art At Work, which has Tacoma cramming its every cranny with arts-related activities throughout November - which includes film. You will find something watchable among the eclectic batch of films planned for the
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UPPING THE ANTE IN ITS 27TH YEAR >>> For now let's forget about ballots and House seats and propositions. Governor Gregoire, please start us off: "A film festival is such a great tribute to democracy because it features a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives from around the world. ..." She included
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QUIET SHOES, PART XXII >>> We buy produce from local farmers and handmade gifts from neighborhood merchants; why not support a Tacoma filmmaker as well? Writer-director Isaac Olsen, our city's own (considerably skinnier) Orson Welles, first told me about his feature in the works, Quiet Shoes, two years ago on the
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YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2010 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>> Strangely, the allure of free movies enticed but a mere dozen or so devotees to the University of Washington campus Tuesday evening. I suppose the Tacoma Film Festival can't match dinner's siren call for a weary student. What influences magnetically pull us
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VIDEO HOT SPOT >>> Christopher Wood, a film critic for the Weekly Volcano, reviewed last night's Grit City Flicks mini festival, which screened to a packed room at the Washington State History Museum as part of the Tacoma Film Festival. Click here to see a schedule of today's Tacoma Film Festival films. LINK:
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YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2010 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>> Rejection hurts. We encounter it in every stage of our lives - as the school dance wallflower, a student ignored by the universities, an employee not considered for a raise. If you take filmmaking seriously, chances are you've dealt with festivals
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YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2010 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>> Roll the word "grit" around in your head; what happens? For me other descriptors float up beside it: rough, coarse, unattractive. But use the noun in a context of discussing Tacoma - and Tacoma filmmaking - and its connotations shift. Grit
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YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2010 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>> OK, so maybe the Tacoma Film Festival got off to a chilly start with its Opening Night selection (read my review here), but this little snag won't deter us. We shake it off and soldier on. Like the Rooster himself, our
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YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2010 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>> Picture a large room with walls of rich mahogany, heavy furniture and ornate rugs decorating its polished floors. Glide inside and you find rows of tables topped with fancy hors d'oeuvres. Musicians sit off to the side, sweet Mozart emanating from
