BY JACK CAMERON for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 8/28/2026
August ends at the Blue Mouse with Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey. The Grand plays a movie that was almost never released, and its Weird Elephant movie this month is something that maybe shouldn’t have been made. It’s another exciting week at Tacoma’s local independent theaters. So let’s get to it.
The Blue Mouse Theatre, 2611 N. Proctor St.
The Odyssey, Aug. 28–30 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; Aug. 31 at 7:00 p.m.
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 this film. The Odyssey is well worth seeing on the big screen, and this is likely your last chance to do so.
The Grand Cinema, 606 Fawcett Ave.
The Rivals of Amziah King, Aug. 28 at 4:20 p.m. and Aug. 29 at 2:25 p.m.
Matthew McConaughey’s latest movie has what’s likely its last week at the Grand. McConaughey plays the title character, Amziah King, a musician and beekeeper in the honey business in Oklahoma. He makes some enemies, including Kurt Russell’s character. But it’s just when you take everything from someone that they become the most dangerous.
Tony, Aug. 28 at 11:30 a.m., 2:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Aug. 29 at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Aug. 30 at 11:35 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:50 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Aug. 31 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; Sept. 1 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:20 p.m.; Sept. 2–3 at 2:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.
Before he was the world-famous, world-traveling chef, Anthony Bourdain was just a 19-year-old kid trying to get by. Tony tells the story of a particularly formative summer in Bourdain’s life. Dominic Sessa (that kid you liked from The Holdovers) stars as Tony. I’m really looking forward to this one.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Aug. 28 at 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:35 p.m.; Aug. 29 at 12:00 p.m., 2:35 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:35 p.m.; Aug. 30 at 12:10 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 1 at 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 2–3 at 2:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Anyone who watched I Saw the TV Glow knew that writer-director Jane Schoenbrun was a new and interesting voice in film. Her follow-up, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, wins for my favorite title this year and stars Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder in a story about a filmmaker obsessed with getting the original star of the slasher sequel she’s making to reprise her role. But given the creative hands you’re in, I expect this takes more than a couple of wild twists.
Coyote vs. Acme, Aug. 28 at 11:45 a.m., 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.; Aug. 29–30 at 11:45 a.m., 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 7:10 p.m.; Aug. 31 at 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.; Sept. 1 at 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 7:10 p.m.; Sept. 2–3 at 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.
There was a time when you weren’t going to be able to see this movie. Studio execs wanted to shelve it and use it as a tax write-off. Luckily, wiser heads prevailed, as this looks to be the exciting Warner Bros. mix of live action and cartoon that Space Jam 2 failed to be. Will Forte vs. Wile E. Coyote is a great match, and I have high hopes for this movie that we almost never got to see.
Roar, Aug. 28–29 at 10:00 p.m.
Weird Elephant goes Weird Lion this month with Roar. Most movies have a little thing at the end of them saying that no people or animals were hurt in making the movie. More than 70 people were hurt making this one. Roar chronicles John Marshall, Tippi Hedren, and their 14-year-old daughter, Melanie Griffith, all living in an animal preserve. They live among lions, and it goes about as well as you’d expect. It’s probably a movie that shouldn’t have been made, but it was, and you’ve got a couple of chances to see it in the theater this week.
Late Fame, Aug. 28 at 11:40 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 7:25 p.m.; Aug. 29 at 11:50 a.m., 5:10 p.m., and 7:25 p.m.; Aug. 30 at 12:00 p.m., 2:20 p.m., and 7:20 p.m.; Aug. 31 at 1:45 p.m., 4:15 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.; Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; Sept. 2 at 1:45 p.m., 4:15 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.; Sept. 3 at 1:45 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
If you’re like me, all you need to know about Late Fame is that it stars Willem Dafoe as a cranky New York poet who is celebrated by a group of eccentric young creatives. Even if you’re not like me, if you’re looking for the sort of movie that’s the antidote to big action movies, this is it. The trailer gave me Dead Poets Society vibes.
The End of Evangelion, Aug. 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most famous anime series of all time. After a fizzle of an ending, creator Hideaki Anno reimagined the ending with an exciting film to end it all. Tickets are going fast for this one.
The Big Cheese, Sept. 1 at 1:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
If it’s Tuesday, the Grand is playing a documentary. This Tuesday, it’s The Big Cheese, a film about an American team that enters France’s Mondial du Fromage cheese competition. The 7:00 p.m. showing will have cheese samples from Peterson’s Cheese and a Q&A with the subjects of the film.
Next week brings the Dino Movie (not Jurassic Park) to the Blue Mouse, and the definitive version of the first Hannibal Lecter movie (not The Silence of the Lambs) arrives at the Grand.
