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It's time for the 4th Annual TCC Diversity Film Festival! These festivals explore and celebrate individual and cultural differences expressed through film. For this year's festival, Tacoma Community College and The Grand Cinema picked a variety of dramatic and documentary films from around the world which are sure to entertain,
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I'm in a conundrum this week. I can't stress how much you need to see Grand Budapest Hotel, but I want you to see it the same way I did; that is, knowing nothing about it except it's directed by Wes Anderson and the story involves a hotel, possibly in
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I review a lot of biopics and documentaries screened at The Grand Cinema. Because these types of films recount stories about real people and events, it's no surprise that - just like in real life - they don't consist entirely of feel-good escapism. Kon-Tiki told the story of Thor Heyerdahl's
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It's time once again for The Grand Cinema's CLICK! Family Flick, sponsored by CLICK! Cable. On the third Saturday of each month, at 10 a.m., The Grand screens a family friendly film, free of charge. This is a great, risk-free opportunity for parents to introduce their children to the wonderful
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Nelson Mandela. That he doesn't require any introduction beyond that is testament enough to his greatness, and I dare not risk disrespecting the man with any of my standard snarky non sequiturs. I'll just say that the story of how Nelson Mandela became the Nelson Mandela whose legacy lives on
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A word of warning before we begin: This is one of those movies. You know the kind: a dense, artsy and weird movie. It's the kind of film where, if asked to describe it, I'd normally answer something to the tune of, "Uh, it's about this guy, and, uh ...
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Our government stinks. A disconcerting number of our politicians are corrupt, scheming scoundrels obsessed with growing their own bank accounts and stock portfolios and totally unconcerned with the welfare of the common folk! Wait, that's not right; let me try again. A disturbing amount of our politicians are nefarious socialists
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Typecasting can be both a boon and a burden. When an actor plays a role so masterfully or for so long that they become inexorably linked to it, it not only provides them job security, it cements their legacy in the "biz" and their place in the public consciousness. At
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I was all set to review The Invisible Woman, just another of the many great films playing at The Grand Cinema. I spent the past week boning up on my Dickens so I could make a passable attempt at aping his writing style. Then, editor Pappi Swarner ran some ambitious,
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Think back to the first time you ever went to the movies. Remember what it was like standing, (or being carried), in line, squinting at the squares of light bulbs illuminating the brightly-colored one-sheets in the lobby, listening to the atonal melody of pinball machines and arcade games playing in
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My recommendation last week (The Broken Circle Breakdown) was an excellent film, but also a very depressing piece of cinema. It was certainly an odd way to start the New Year, but I didn't take it as a taste of things to come. Let's see what this week's film is
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This week's film is a bit of a tonal shift from the stuff I've been reviewing over the last couple of weeks. I've been spoiled on horror spoofs about mutant monster Santa Clauses and dark comedies featuring nigh-invincible cats; I really wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for the Movie ReviewermobileTM
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Joel and Ethan Coen: Have there ever been two guys that were just so obviously meant to do what they do? When's the last time you sat down to view a film knowing that the Coen brothers had a hand in it, and had any doubt as to whether or
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There seems to be an odd trend in cinema where some filmmakers feel compelled to make Santa Claus evil. There's the Silent Night, Deadly Night series, Christmas Evil, Santa's Slay starring master thespian/wrestling enthusiast Bill Goldberg and countless others. It's almost become a modern holiday tradition. We have a modern
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"This movie's gay." How many times have you heard artistically lacking films described as such? I'm guilty of it. In my misspent teenage years, I don't recall another word in my vocabulary that served so frequently as the catchall descriptor for various media that I didn't like, but I'm better
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Tinseltown suffered a heavy blow last week with the tragic death of Paul Walker. I'll resist the temptation to call him a "great thespian," a "master of his craft" or any of the other tried and true cants that frequently appear in celebrity eulogies. I'll just point out that in
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Spark: a Burning Man Story is the latest from directors Steve Brown and Jessie Deeter. This engaging documentary gives audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at Burning Man. "But what is Burning Man, exactly?" you ask. "Is it that movie where Nicolas Cage screams about bees?" No, that's The Wicker Man, but that's a
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What a week: the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and the completely unanticipated (and hopefully temporary) demise of Brian the dog on Family Guy ... I need a vacation. I'm gonna' go party with some hippies in the desert. Spark: A Burning Man Story
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If someone asked me to list some of Richard Nixon's good qualities, after an hour or so of silent pondering and thoughtful chin stroking, I'd still probably have nothing. It's not that there weren't any positive aspects to the Nixon presidency; it's just that I can't think of anything that
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A young New Yorker, a loving husband and father of two children, accepts a job offer from two promoters for a lucrative short-term engagement with their traveling circus. It seems legitimate: the man is both a talented violinist and a professional carpenter; both useful skills in any traveling show. After
