BY JACK CAMERON for WEEKLY VOLCANO 4/17/26 |
Given that the first movie made over a billion dollars, Super Mario Galaxy spending a third week at the Blue Mouse Theater was a given. The Super Mario Galaxy movie reteams Mario and Luigi, voiced by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, in a movie directed by Aaron Horvath and written by Matthew Fogel. The story centers around Bowser Jr.’s plans after Bowser grew softer after the first movie. But it’s Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach who has an unexpectedly larger role than one might expect, with portions of the film diving into her backstory.
Super Mario Galaxy spends most of its runtime showing off the incredible world (or galaxy, if you will) of the Mario games in cutting-edge animation that will delight children and entertain adults. Given the success of this second one, I’m sure a third one is just a couple of years away.
Showings are at 7:00 p.m. and at matinee shows at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday, April 17th, Friday Night Frights presents the 2003 horror classic Freddy vs. Jason at 10:00 p.m. This is the last movie where Robert Englund plays Freddy. The Freddy makeup was so thick that Englund hadn’t noticed when the heat from the fire in some scenes bonded the makeup to his skin, making it very difficult to remove.
The Grand Tacoma Cinema is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the hilarious romp Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig proved with this movie that comedies aren’t just made by the boys. Before they started filming, the stars spent two weeks improvising, incorporating much of what they came up with in the finished film.
Saturday, April 18th is the third Saturday of the month, and that means Free Family Movie Day. This month’s movie is the 1994 classic Stuart Little at 10:00 a.m. The title character is a charismatic mouse that causes all sorts of antics when a boy adopts him. Tickets are free. So get them while you can.
On Saturday, April 18th, the Grand has DJ NicFit bringing his iconic Cross-Faded Cinema to the Grand. This is a unique experience mixing cult classic films with synchronized soundtracks. This time he’s celebrating The Craft’s 30th anniversary with a new soundtrack made up of women musicians and artists. Limited-edition posters for the event will be available in the lobby. The performance is at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
The movie of the week, if you ask me, though, is the Grand’s Science on Film movie this month, The Big Lebowski. This endlessly quotable Coen Brothers classic is worth seeing on the big screen if you haven’t before. Jeff Bridges plays The Dude, a laid-back stoner who gets involved in a convoluted plot involving a peed-on rug, a cut-off toe, and a bag full of underwear (among other things). Amber Wise of Medicine Creek Analytics will be giving a related presentation titled “Into the Weeds” before the film. The one and only showing is on Sunday, April 19th at 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, April 21st, there are two showings of Abby Martin’s new film Earth’s Greatest Enemy, a two-hour documentary on the damage to the climate done by the United States military.
If you’re looking to support our local independent movie theaters, this week has some of the best options so far this year.
