Arts & Entertainment
- Porchfest is This Weekend. Two Days in Two Neighborhoods
- Porchfest is a free, walkable music festival that takes place on porches. They encourage you to come meet your neighbors and your new favorite band. This year marks the fourth festival and it has expanded to two days across two neighborhoods. Last year there were over 200 bands on 65 local porch stages and an estimates 8,000-10,000 people in attendance. Don’t miss out on any of the fun! Check out the lineup and map here: https://www.tacomaporchfest.org/
- Museum of Glass has New Workshops
- By the Furnace Hot Shop Experience: For the first time, By the Furnace workshops are available through the summer! Here is your chance to work on the Hot Shop floor. Assisted by Hilltop Artists, these workshops feature a variety of objects, such as flowers, birds, ornaments, paperweights, and more (each workshop date will feature a specific object). As the gaffer, you will be able to choose colors, block and shape the glass, and add your own twist to the work of art. Upcoming workshop dates: July 12 & 13 – Starfish; July 19 & 20 – Floats; August 16 & 17 – Fish. Sign Up Here.
- Glass Tile and Glass Dish Workshops: Outside of the Hot Shop, in the Education Studio, the Museum offers both Glass Tile and Glass Dish fusing workshops. Working with Museum of Glass instructors, fuse cold, flat glass sheets and decorative elements, to make your very own glass tile or dish. Once your design is complete, it will be fired in our electric kiln to produce a solid, smooth work of art. July 12 – 13th and July 19 – 20th. Sign Up Here.
- Last Chance to Nominate for the AMOCAT Arts Awards
- Do you know someone who is making Tacoma a more creative, connected, and compassionate place through the arts? Now is your chance to recognize them! Nominations for the 2025 AMOCAT Arts Awards are closing Tuesday, July 15 at 11:59 PM. These City of Tacoma awards honor individuals, organizations, and patrons who support and uplift the arts in meaningful ways. Award Categories include: Community Outreach by an Individual, Community Outreach by an Organization, Arts Patron. From neighborhood-based organizers and cultural leaders to long-standing institutions and behind-the-scenes advocates, the AMOCAT Awards uplift the people and groups making a difference in Tacoma’s creative life. Nominate here: https://tacomaarts.submittable.com/submit
- MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Fest July 26-27th at Wright Park
- Wright Park transforms into a celebration of international delights July 26-27 from 12-7 p.m. for the MOSAIC Arts and Culture Festival. The free community event highlighting traditional dance, music, art and food marks its 36th year under the park’s beautiful canopy of trees. MOSAIC includes performances from community groups held both days on two different stages, food trucks offering a wide variety of cuisines, and vendor village with nearly 100 different booths. Vendors include multicultural artists and crafters, local small business owners, and Tacoma community groups, agencies and services. Learn More: https://www.parkstacoma.gov/event/mosaic/#what-to-expect-at-mosaic
- Oscar and Grammy Winning Music Icon A.R. Rahman Comes to Tacoma
- A.R. Rahman brings his latest immersive concert experience, The Wonderment Tour to Tacoma this month. More than a concert, the show redefines live performance through breathtaking visuals, narrative transitions and a transformative soundscape that blends technology with timeless emotion. The Wonderment Tour brings together a visionary ensemble of vocalists and musicians who join A.R. Rahman in genre-spanning live experience. The powerful experience blends orchestral arrangements, electronic soundscapes, and songs from Indian and global cinema that invites the audience to experience the wonder within. Rooted in Rahman’s creative spirit, the performance celebrates the wonder of every breath, the wonder of music, the wonder of love and the wonder of you. The Wonderment Tour offers a live experience that is layered, emotional and cinematic, crafted to awaken the senses and connect people through sound and story. Get tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F00626FD7B05CE8
- Key Peninsula Art Walk 2025
- Art / Music / Crafts / Nonprofits / Food / Beer & Wine / Community. Two Waters Arts Alliance is pleased to present ART, LIVE MUSIC, LOCAL NONPROFITS, FOOD, WINE, and DRAFT BEER + CIDER on Friday, August 1, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm in downtown Key Center – all within easy strolling distance. Key Peninsula Art Walk is open to the public, free to attend, and fun for the whole family! Creatives, do you need to clear some space in your studio? Why not partner with a friend or family member for a booth so others in the community can give your work a new home. Come join the fun! Beyond the planning committee, it takes a small village to setup, staff and clean up this community event and Two Waters would appreciate your support. If you are able to help for even 1-2 hours, please contact Jodi Littlefield, our volunteer coordinator and master scheduler, at gmalittlefield@gmail.com or 360-689-3733. CALL TO ARTISTS: VENDOR BOOTHS ARE AVAILABLE for art and handicrafts by creative local talent (handmade products only please) and nonprofits. REGISTRATION STILL OPEN: online registration does allow separate cash or check payment. Go straight to online registration at form.jotform.com/251423727657159
Neighborhood News
- A Letter to Tacoma, Thanks for Saving The Grand
- In a recent social media post, Kaarin Austin, chair and board of directors of the Grand Cinema wrote a letter to all of their fans.
- Dear Supporters of The Grand Cinema, I am so excited to announce that this month The Grand Cinema became the official owner of the Merlino Arts Center. This was made possible thanks to an outpouring of philanthropic support from our friends, members and those who believe in a vibrant arts sector for Tacoma/Pierce County. I am also thrilled to announce that July 7 marks the first day on the job for Elizabeth Calhoun as The Grand’s new Executive Director. Elizabeth was chosen by The Grand Board of Directors to cussed Philip Cowan, who is retiring after 18 years of service. We are tremendously grateful for Philip’s service, which includes guiding us through the dark days of COVID and successfully negotiating and executing on the sale and agreement with the Merlino family. Elizabeth comes with a wealth of nonprofit, are and movie theater experience, including time with the Hollywood Theater in Portland, Seattle International Film Festival, the Gage Academy of Art and with commercial movie houses such as Regal and Landmark. Stay tuned for opportunities to celebrate this historic achievement and meet Elizabeth. She is eager to get the know The Grand Community. On behalf of the board, volunteers, members and all who love the arts in Tacoma, THANK YOU for making this truly historic purchase a reality.
Local Governance
- New Tribal Warrants Law Strengthens Justice in Pierce County
- A new Washington state law going into effect this week allows law enforcement in Pierce County and across the state to enforce arrest warrants issued by tribal courts—an important shift that aims to close long-standing gaps in jurisdiction. Until now, someone accused of a crime on tribal land could evade consequences simply by leaving the reservation, creating a dangerous legal loophole that especially impacted cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous women. With the new law, certified tribes—like the Puyallup Tribe—can issue warrants that are honored by local and state police, streamlining justice and reinforcing tribal sovereignty. This change marks a meaningful step toward equity for tribal nations in our region. For Pierce County residents, it means increased cooperation between local law enforcement and nearby tribal governments, helping ensure that all residents—regardless of which side of a jurisdictional line they live on—receive the same protection under the law. While the law only applies to tribes that meet certain certification standards, it lays the groundwork for stronger partnerships and more consistent enforcement moving forward. Learn more from the Attorney General’s Office.
Business & Opportunities
- Ethics Commission Vacancy
- The Ethic Commission is looking for an attorney from the private sector to join the Pierce County Ethics Commission. The commission is responsible for promoting and upholding the Pierce County Ethics Code for Pierce County Employees. The position becomes available August 1, 2025. You can start your application here: pierceountywa.gov/ethicscommission
- Call to Artists for Sculptural Work at Wapato Park
- The City of Tacoma’s Arts and Cultural Vitality Division and Parks Tacoma seek an artist or team to design and create a sculptural artwork for Wapato Park along Sheridan Ave. The deadline to apply: July 22nd at 5pm. The budget is $80,000 all-inclusive. The selected artist will create artwork that: welcomes visitors to the neighborhood, is compatible with the natural setting, enhances the environment, reflects the history and cultural relevancy of the site and appeals to people of all ages. To learn more and apply: tacomaarts.submittable.com/submit
Recreation & Wellness
- Little Marsh Work Party
- Saturday 7/12 is the July work party at qʷiqʷəlut “Little Marsh” located at 1845 Port of Tacoma Road from 9am – 12pm. All ages and abilities are welcome to help mulch, weed and grub. Tools, gloves and snacks will be provided. These work parties happen regularly on the second Saturday of the month but will skip August. 350Tacoma has been caring for Little Marsh for seven years and it is now part of the Tacoma Open Spaces program. Little Marsh is located on the ancestral tideflats of the Puyallup Tribe in what is today known as the Port of Tacoma and offers a glimpse of what the area looked like prior to colonization, as well as provides much needed habitat among the sea of concrete. You can learn more at bit.ly/littlemarsh.
- Tacoma Mobility is having a Bike Parade to Pride
- Why crawl in traffic when you can cruise with pride? Ride your bike or take transit this weekend. Join the Bike Parade Saturday July 12. Join a joyful celebration of movement, community and creativity on two wheels! Ride with Pride is more than just a way to get around – it’s a rolling bike parade connecting two of Tacoma’s summer events: Porchfest and Tacoma Pride. Cruise on the two-mile Rainbow Route between events with your friends and family, enjoy a slow, social ride full of color and celebration. Bring your spirit and your sparkle. There are two rides, join one or both. Ride to Pride: meet at South 8th Street and South Pine Street at 12pm to ride to Pride at Wright Park. Ride to Porchfest: Gather at Division Avenue and Yakima Avenue at 2pm to bike to Porchfest where the parade starts at 3pm. All rides are family friendly and were worked to minimize hills and avoid higher traffic areas. Check out Tacoma.gov/mobility for more information.
TV & Film Review
- TV Review: The Bear Season 4, by Elizabeth Mulloy
- FX’s hit drama series (it’s a drama, not a comedy, fight me), The Bear has returned for its fourth season. After receiving a mixed review from the Chicago Tribune, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the crew are racing against the clock to turn their restaurant into something actually profitable, as the financial safety net from Uncle Cicero (Oliver Platt) starts to evaporate. With the cash burning fast, the pressure’s cranked up, and the usual suspects of trauma, depression, anxiety, and dread come creeping back in, threatening to pull the whole operation under. Leaving The Bear’s future hanging in the balance.
- While the third season of The Bear was undeniably well made, the narrative hit a bit of a standstill. The series was still expertly crafted, beautifully acted, but ultimately a slow-moving spiral of side quests and existential dread as everyone waited around for the much-hyped Chicago Tribune review that would decide the restaurant’s fate. Frustrating? Yes. But I was still locked in. So heading into season four, with the review finally out and the clock officially ticking, I was hopeful. But, unfortunately, it still feels like we’re stuck in place.
- Now before I bog the room down with too much doom and gloom, let me take a moment to say that I did appreciate about this season’s narrative. I really liked how The Bear drew a clear connection to Harold Ramis’ 1993 masterpiece Groundhog Day, where our chefs are stuck in a soul-sucking, repetitive cycle of work. The days begin to blur together, and their lives revolve entirely around the chaos of the restaurant. Burnout starts creeping in, dragging each of them down the dangerous path of depression and self-destruction. I respected that commentary, especially because I’m dealing with burnout myself. Watching the characters try to break free from that cycle should have resonated. But for some reason, it didn’t as I simply didn’t care.
- I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I kept frustratingly clocking out this season, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because the characters are starting to get on my nerves as they continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. There’s a complete lack of communication outside of screaming matches, and no one seems capable of admitting they have actual problems. Or maybe it’s the fact that the show feels like it’s holding up a giant neon sign that reads “seek therapy, mental health is important.” And while I agree with the sentiment, the delivery is starting to wear thin. Deep down, I found myself beginning to resent the show a little. It keeps leaning on the same tricks such as characters yelling, frantic editing to manufacture chaos and tension, as if that alone can push the narrative forward. But four seasons in, it feels like those techniques are doing a lot more heavy lifting than they should, because the story itself just isn’t pulling its weight.
- Don’t get me wrong. The Bear is still undeniably well made, and from a technical standpoint, the filmmaking is firing on all cylinders. The cinematography remains beautiful and intimate, capturing the kitchen’s claustrophobic chaos with precision, while somehow making every single dish look mouth wateringly delicious. The editing is sharp, chaotic, and fiery in all the right ways, perfectly mirroring our characters’ inner turmoil. The score and soundtrack continues to pack a punch. And the acting? Still phenomenal. This ensemble cast continues to deliver some of the most compelling and emotionally raw performances on television right now. Even with all that craft and technical brilliance, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about this season. Something in the story didn’t land, and I kept waiting to feel pulled in, but it never really happened. That lack of connection made everything else, no matter how well it was executed, feel strangely hollow. I do think The Bear has a clear destination in mind, and I genuinely hope season five is the final one, but it feels like the show is unsure how to get there. Instead, it spins its wheels, dragging out the narrative by having characters repeat the same mistakes, stretching conflicts that should have been resolved well before the halfway point. The commentary, while valid, is delivered with all the subtlety of a slap to the face. The Bear is beginning to lose its edge, yet it remains so impeccably crafted that I cannot completely write it off. Which leaves me stuck somewhere in the middle, torn between admiring the show’s technical strengths and feeling exhausted by its storytelling choices.
- My Rating: B
- Film Review: Superman, by Elizabeth Mulloy
- Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time. That said, he’s also a character that no one has ever quite gotten right. I’ll admit up front that I haven’t seen every adaptation, like Smallville, Superman & Lois, or any of the animated versions. But what’s widely considered the best take on the character are the Richard Donner films from the late 1970s and early 1980s, with Christopher Reeve in the role. Since then, we’ve seen multiple cinematic reboots, from 2006’s Superman Returns with Brandon Routh, which got a pretty bland reception, to 2013’s Man of Steel with Henry Cavill, which drew mixed reactions for its darker and more grounded approach. After the failure of Zack Snyder’s DCEU and with Marvel dominating the box office, it became clear Superman needed another hard reset, this time with James Gunn at the helm. Given Gunn’s history with Marvel and with superheroes in general, he seems like a great fit for the character. And honestly, so far, he kind of is and isn’t.
- It has been three years since Superman (David Corenswet) revealed himself to the world. During that time he has drawn himself into conflicts both at home and abroad, ranging from alien invasion to geopolitical crises. However, when his actions are questioned, it gives Lex Luther (Nicholas Hoult) the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman’s four legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it’s too late.
- Writer and director James Gunn has made it very clear that his adaptation of Superman is not an origin story. In this movie, Superman has been a superhero for over three years. He is still figuring things out and is still learning how to carry the weight of what it means to be a hero, but he is becoming more bold in his actions. He is stepping into geopolitical conflicts and isn’t concerned with bureaucratic red tape or the messiness of politics. What matters to him is saving lives and doing the right thing. But of course, his actions come with consequences. Weapons manufacturing billionaire Lex Luthor sees him as an existential alien threat to humanity and is working to convince the U.S. government to see it the same way. Some people, like Lois, view him as a symbol of hope and something to aspire to. Others see him as more of a nuisance, including the Justice Gang made up of Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi). On one hand, I respect the decision to jump straight into this world. Gunn clearly wants to avoid rehashing what we have already seen. But on the other hand, it does feel a bit like he is trying to have his cake and eat it too.
- Gunn has said before that he doesn’t want to retread what’s already been done with this character. But at the same time, he clearly wants his audience to come in already knowing what’s been done. He expects viewers to be familiar with Superman’s origin, to understand the political landscape of the DC universe, to recognize the characters and their relationships. That’s great for hardcore DC fans as they’ll eat it up, but it’s going to leave casual viewers and anyone unfamiliar with the character completely in the dust. Because this isn’t just a Superman movie. It’s also meant to be a launchpad for the new DC cinematic universe. And that sadly ends up creating a film that feels overstuffed and underdeveloped, packed with too many characters, plotlines, and conflicts that don’t have enough time to breathe. Gunn seems so focused on setting up the future that he forgets to ground the story in the present. Which is frustrating, because you can see what he’s trying to do with this version of Superman. But good foundations only take you so far. You still have to build something solid on top of them.
- The only character that felt fully developed was, thankfully, Superman himself. David Corenswet absolutely nails the selfless heroism and hopeful spirit of the character, and he commands the screen with a strong physical presence. Unfortunately, it’s the rest of the cast that ends up falling a bit flat. And to be clear, that’s not on the actors. They’re all doing what they can to bring depth to roles that just aren’t fully there on the page. The best example of this is Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. His version of Lex is undeniably evil, but the script doesn’t give us much of a reason for it beyond petty jealousy, something we’re told rather than shown. Hoult’s performance is pitch-perfect in its maniacal, campy menace, but it honestly feels like something we should be seeing in a sequel, after we’ve had time to really understand this character. Dropping it in right away makes Lex feel thin and underdeveloped, just like so many others in the film. Again, not the actors’ fault. It’s just not in the writing as the script is paper thin.
- However, with all those criticisms in mind, Superman is still an absolute blast to watch. It sticks closely to the same tried-and-true formula we’ve seen in countless superhero movies before. The world is on the brink of destruction, there are massive CGI battles exploding across the silver screen, and the superhero spectacle is dialed all the way up to eleven. It’s nothing new, but it’s fun and sometimes, that’s enough. The energy is high, the pacing rarely drags, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the sheer scale of it all. And then there’s that moment when John Williams’ classic Superman theme kicks in. You can feel the nostalgia hit like a wave, and for a second, it all just works. If James Gunn had just pulled back a little on the humor and actually let the serious moments land, I think he could have struck gold. Or at least something close to gold, something solid enough that I’d be willing to overlook the flaws in the script. Because buried under all the noise and setup is something sincere. It’s just frustratingly out of reach.
- Overall, I’m left feeling somewhat disappointed with Superman. Instead of pushing this character in a bold new direction, we’re handed more of the same story we’ve already seen with Superman himself and with superhero movies in general. And that’s what makes it so frustrating. You can see hints of something different, the seasonings of a new flavor Gunn was clearly toying with, but in the end, he plays it safe and gives us McDonalds. It’s familiar, it’s easy to digest, and yeah, it hits the spot if you’re in the mood. But it’s not memorable, and it’s certainly not what it could have been. Of course, fans of the character and the genre will likely eat it up. And to be fair, Superman is entertaining. It delivers the spectacle and the nostalgia, and for many, that’ll be enough. But if you were hoping for something deeper or more daring, something that actually takes this icon and moves him forward, then get ready to walk away a little let down.
- My Rating: B-
Screenshots: We Scrolled So You Don’t Have To…
