BY JACK CAMERON for WEEKLY VOLCANO 5/15/26 |
If your goal this week is to see a movie at one of Tacoma’s independent theaters, you can achieve this goal no matter what kind of movie you want to see.
Over at the Blue Mouse on North 26th and Proctor, they have the long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic Michael. If you’re looking for a deep dive into the personal life of the King of Pop and how he wrestled with his demons, you’ll have to wait. This movie is for Michael Jackson fans, who will get exactly what they want: someone who looks like Michael Jackson performing his hits on the big screen in the most entertaining way possible.
Michael is playing May 15 through 17 at 3:45 and 7 p.m., with a final showing Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m.
For you night owls, on Friday, May 15, at 10 p.m., the Blue Mouse presents Friday Night Frights with a screening of the 2013 classic horror movie that launched franchises, The Conjuring. Based on real-life paranormal investigators, The Conjuring stirs up all sorts of scares and thrills. Watching this will help erase the latest not-so-good Conjuring movie.
Over downtown at the Grand Tacoma Cinema at 606 Fawcett, they utilize their four screens on a Jedi Master level.
If you’ve been waiting for the crowds to die down, this might be the week to see the Ryan Gosling science fiction blockbuster Project Hail Mary. This is one you want to see on the big screen.
The long-awaited comedy sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues its run.
The Stranger is a black-and-white French film adapting the classic Albert Camus novel about a man who stands accused of killing another man and has no alibi. And it’s enjoying another week at the Grand.
Mile End Kicks is to the Montreal music scene of the 2010s as Singles is to Seattle’s grunge scene in the 1990s. It’s a wonderful love letter to a special place and time. Chandler Levack’s movie about a young music critic who gets involved, in more ways than one, in the Montreal music scene is worth checking out. I’m glad it has another week at the Grand.
It looks like you have one last chance to experience You’ve Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine on Saturday, May 16, at 3 p.m.
The Grand is also hosting two films for Tacoma Community College’s Diversity Film Festival this week.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is a riveting 2024 documentary about American musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crashing a UN Security Council meeting to protest the murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in 1960. This Johan Grimonprez-directed documentary is screening Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m.
Left-Handed Girl is the other film screening for the TCC Diversity Film Festival. This Chinese drama follows a single mother and her two daughters as they navigate life after relocating to Taipei. Sean Baker (The Florida Project) cowrote this with director Shih-Ching Tsou. It screens Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m.
Advance tickets for both festival films are going fast.
If horror is more your jam, Curry Barker’s latest film, Obsession, starts Friday, May 15. When a guy wishes for a girl to like him, he gets more than he bargained for in this twisted horror film that some are calling an instant classic.
And this Saturday is the third Saturday of the month, so that means the Grand’s monthly Free Family Flick. This month the movie is the animated romp Turning Red, where 13-year-old Mei is going through some awkward changes, including changing into a big red panda when she gets too excited. This family movie is fun and free, but you have to get tickets, as there are only so many seats. Doors open Saturday, May 16, at 9:30 a.m., with the showing at 10 a.m. All children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
On Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m., the Grand continues its Science on Screen series with a screening of the movie 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This showing will include a talk by Saumya Sankaran, PhD, assistant teaching professor of sciences and mathematics at UW Tacoma.
Beam Me Up, Sulu is a thing that shouldn’t exist and does. Back in 1985, an avid Star Trek fan convinced George Takei, the man who played Sulu, to star in his Star Trek fan film. The footage was mysteriously lost and recently found again. Beam Me Up, Sulu is a documentary about this unbelievable story. It’s for the Star Trek fan in all of us. The Grand is showing it Tuesday, May 19, at 1:45 and 7 p.m.
And last, but certainly not least, is the Grand’s Craft Night. They keep the lights on for the movie and encourage you to bring a craft or project to work on while you watch the movie socially. This month’s film is the classic road-trip comedy Little Miss Sunshine. Craft Night is Wednesday, May 20. The show starts at 7 p.m.
So for those of you counting, that’s 12 movies on four screens in seven days. Well done, schedulers. See you next week.
