BY JACK CAMERON for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 10/2/2026
The Blue Mouse has a live blues concert and a free family movie this week. They also have The Forgotten Island for a second week.
Over at the Grand, they’re having a special presentation about the hit television series The Last of Us and premiering an interesting movie about concrete. No, really. It looks interesting. And Tom Cruise’s latest arrives with Digger, visionary director Alejandro Iñárritu’s latest. Let’s take a look at what Tacoma’s independent theaters have for us this week.
The Blue Mouse Theatre – 2611 North Proctor
The Forgotten Island – Oct. 2–4 at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
When two best friends end up on a mysterious island that steals memories, their only way out might be to sacrifice the memories of their friendship. This has been one of the most anticipated DreamWorks animated movies in years. And though it may appear to simply be another kids’ cartoon, co-writer/director Januel Mercado made the film as a tribute to his late father who helped him with the Tagalog portions of the dialogue. The movie draws heavily from Philippine mythology and explores themes that adults will find interesting while also entertaining kids. I’m not surprised to see that The Forgotten Island is sticking around for a second week.
Hotel Transylvania – FREE FAMILY MOVIE, Oct. 3 at 11:00 a.m.
October’s free family movie is the 2012 animated vampire comedy Hotel Transylvania, in which Dracula runs a hotel, but hijinks ensue when a young man falls for his daughter. This is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, who created the shows Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack.
The Nick Moss Band LIVE BLUES – Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m.
It’s that time again. The Blue Mouse gets a little bluer with blues from the Nick Moss Band featuring Jason Ricci. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 on the day of the performance. The first four rows in the center are VIP seats for $50.
The Grand Cinema – 606 Fawcett Avenue
Digger – Oct. 2 at 11:15 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 3 at 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:20 p.m., and 7:40 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 11:15 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 7:35 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m., 4:20 p.m., and 7:10 p.m.; Oct. 7 and 8 at 1:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.
Tom Cruise stars in a unique role as an eccentric billionaire on a frantic mission to save the world. Writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu brings his considerable talent and vision to this unforgettable movie. Also starring John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons.
The Incomer – Oct. 2 at 11:45 a.m., 2:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Oct. 3 at 11:45 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:10 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:50 p.m., and 7:10 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6:50 p.m.; Oct. 6 at 2:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.; Oct. 7 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.; Oct. 8 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.
On a remote Scottish isle, a brother and sister spend their days hunting seabirds and following the rules their father gave them: Protect the island, allow no incomers, and survive. But their lives are disrupted when Daniel, an official from the mainland, arrives. Domhnall Gleeson stars as Daniel.
The Science Behind The Last of Us FREE Presentation – Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m.
The Last of Us is both a wildly popular video game franchise and a hit HBO television series. If you get into the story, you might end up wondering just how possible it would be for fungus to take us over. The answer might surprise you. Michael Cargill, PhD, professor of biomedical science at Tacoma Community College, is giving a free presentation on the fact and fiction of The Last of Us. This informative and fun Science on Screen event is, as I mentioned, free. Come for the zombies. Stay for the science. Learn about fungi with a fun guy. 😉
The History of Concrete – Oct. 2 at 2:20 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.; Oct. 3 at 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 2:10 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 7:15 p.m.; Oct. 6 at 1:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; Oct. 7 at 4:45 p.m.
You may be familiar with the writer/director of this movie from his HBO show How To with John Wilson. He’s irreverent, odd, and funny. Just the sort of person you’d want to do a film about the history of concrete. In all seriousness, John Wilson is entertaining no matter what he’s up to, and this promises to be just as absurd and somehow poignant as the rest of his work. Tickets are going surprisingly fast.
Primetime – Oct. 2 at 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:40 p.m.; Oct. 3 at 12:10 p.m., 2:40 p.m., 5:20 p.m., and 7:20 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m., 2:20 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:25 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 6 at 2:00 p.m., 4:10 p.m., and 7:20 p.m.; Oct. 7 and 8 at 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
In 2006, reality television is dominating the television airwaves. And Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) leads a television show in which they try to catch men trying to have sex with children. The story of To Catch a Predator is the topic of Primetime, and it promises to be one of the more talked-about movies of 2026.
Filipiñana – Oct. 2 at 11:30 a.m. and 4:50 p.m.; Oct. 3 at 7:10 p.m.; Oct. 4 at 11:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 5 at 2:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.; Oct. 6 at 4:40 p.m.; Oct. 7 at 2:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.; Oct. 8 at 2:15 p.m.
A teenage girl working at a posh golf club outside Manila learns dark secrets about the place she works. This Philippine film is an incisive satire exploring capitalism from a unique perspective. This film surprised and delighted audiences at Sundance.
The Blue Mouse is keeping us in suspense as to what’s playing next week. And the movie Seeds arrives at the Grand next week, but you might want to get tickets early. It’s already half sold out.
