BY JACK CAMERON for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 7/17/2026
The Odyssey Arrives, and Moana Washes In
Summer movies kick into high gear this week with the arrival of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. If you’re looking for more of a date-night movie, you might want to try The Invite. And, as usual, if you’re a fan of old movies, the Blue Mouse and the Grand have you covered. Here’s what’s playing this week.
Blue Mouse Theatre, 2611 N. Proctor St.
The Last Picture Show
July 16 at 6 p.m.
Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 masterpiece The Last Picture Show will receive a special screening at the Blue Mouse hosted by UWT film professor David Coons, PhD. This promises to be a fun evening for anyone interested in movie history and the critical darlings of yesteryear.
The Exorcist
July 17 at 10 p.m.
For Friday Night Frights, the Blue Mouse brings us The Exorcist, William Friedkin’s 1973 horror classic. This is one of those movies that just works better in a packed theater. Friedkin’s direction delivers earned scares and keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. The Exorcist is an excellent choice for Friday Night Frights.
Moana
July 17–19 at 3:45 and 7 p.m.
July 20 at 7 p.m.
When the Blue Mouse isn’t playing classics, it’ll be playing the live-action version of a classic as Moana hits theaters like a wave. Dwayne Johnson reprises the role he voiced ten years earlier in the animated Moana. Like the original, the film takes place in ancient Polynesia, where a terrible curse incurred by the demigod Maui, played by Johnson, reaches Moana’s island. Young Moana must answer the call to adventure.
The Grand Cinema, 606 Fawcett Ave.
The Invite
July 17 at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15, 4:45 and 7:30 p.m.
July 18 at 12:15, 2:35, 5 and 7:30 p.m.
July 19 at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15, 4:45 and 7:30 p.m.
July 20 and 21 at 1:30, 4:45 and 7:30 p.m.
July 22 at 1:30 and 4:40 p.m.
I haven’t had a chance to see this one yet, but I’ve been told by friends that if you want to have a VERY interesting date-night conversation, go see The Invite, a movie in which two couples have a night in that is anything but calm. Funny and unlike almost any movie you’ll see this year, The Invite stars Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton and Olivia Wilde. Wilde also directed the comedy.
Once Upon a Time in a Cinema
July 17 at 12:15, 2:30, 5 and 7:15 p.m.
July 18 at 11:30 a.m. and 2, 4:15 and 6:45 p.m.
July 19 at 12:30, 2:45, 5 and 7:15 p.m.
July 20 at 1:45, 4:15 and 6:45 p.m.
July 21 at 2 and 4:15 p.m.
July 22 at 1:45 and 4:15 p.m.
If you love movies and movie theaters, this one is for you. Once Upon a Time in a Cinema takes place in real time during a movie. That’s right. There’s another movie playing in the background throughout the film. It’s the 1983 Richard Gere movie Breathless, but that doesn’t matter. Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is about what’s happening in and around the theater during the showing. This movie seems like a natural match for an independent theater like the Grand.
The Odyssey
July 17–19 at noon and 3:30 and 7 p.m.
July 20 and 21 at 1:15, 4 and 7:15 p.m.
July 22 at 1:15, 4 and 6:45 p.m.
It’s here. Likely to be the biggest blockbuster of the summer of 2026, Christopher Nolan’s latest big-budget epic is an adaptation of one of the first epics ever written down. The Odyssey is the first big-budget Hollywood movie to be filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. Nolan, known for enjoying the use of practical effects, is said to have used a sixty-foot puppet for the Cyclops sequence rather than resorting to an entirely computer-generated image. Stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson have all talked about the challenging work they put into making the film. Personally, I can’t wait to see it.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
July 17 and 18 at 10 p.m.
This month’s Weird Elephant film is the 1985 horror movie The Return of the Living Dead. If you’re looking for something to say to your fellow Weird Elephant moviegoer, mention that the extras were paid bonuses for eating real raw cow brains. Director Dan O’Bannon ate some raw cow brains in front of the cast and crew to show he’d never ask them to do something he wouldn’t do. Actually eating raw cow brains in preparation for the screening is not advised.
Maddie’s Secret
July 17 at 11:30 a.m. and 2, 4:15 and 6:45 p.m.
July 18 at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15, 4:45 and 7:15 p.m.
July 19 at 12:15, 2:30, 5:15 and 7:30 p.m.
July 20 at 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m.
July 21 at 4:30 and 6:45 p.m.
July 22 at 2 and 4:30 p.m.
Maddie, played by John Early, isn’t ready for what happens when her recipes become an online sensation. When the spotlight of fame hits Maddie, it threatens to expose a secret she has been keeping for a long time. This is writer, director and star John Early’s first feature film, and early word is good, with a new and unique comedic voice making itself known.
Surf’s Up: Free Family Flick
July 18 at 10 a.m.
July’s Free Family Flick is the wet and wild Surf’s Up, a 2007 animated movie about a penguin surfing competition. Tickets go fast for these screenings, which is why the Grand has opened two of its theaters for this showing. Take the kids to a free movie and enjoy.
Exhibition on Screen: David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts
July 21 at 1:45 and 7 p.m.
The Grand’s continuing Tuesday series, Exhibition on Screen, brings some of the world’s greatest museum exhibitions to you. This week, it focuses on David Hockney, who recently passed away. Hockney is widely considered Britain’s most popular artist. David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts focuses on two blockbuster exhibitions held in 2012 and 2016 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Orlando
July 22 at 7 p.m.
Pride Month at the Grand continues with 1992’s Orlando. Tilda Swinton stars as the title character in this adaptation of the gender-bending novel by Virginia Woolf. Watch carefully, and you’ll see that Swinton’s eyes change color as her character ages. This is an overlooked film that rarely gets a screening. Catch it while you can.
