A quick aside before we dive into the ludicrous Runner Runner: When I worked at The Grand Cinema, I had a friend and coworker who made the majority of his income in two ways, neither of which had anything to do with working at a movie theater. The more fanciful of the methods was that he would spend hours playing World of Warcraft, collecting in-game items that he would then sell to other gamers for real-life money. One man allegedly paid him $1,500, which he had to do in installations so his wife wouldn't notice.

The rest of his money was made in online poker. Needless to say, my friend's continued work at an art house theater should be an indication that online poker is, generally, not nearly as sexy and dangerous as Runner Runner says.

Starring Justin Timberlake in yet another role that comes nowhere close to matching the promise he showed in The Social Network and Alpha Dog, Runner Runner quickly raises its banner as the spiritual sequel to the equally ridiculous fake-poker classic, Rounders. Timberlake needs to raise funds for tuition, so he starts playing online poker (three tables at a time, which my friend also did), and almost wins the jackpot before being cheated by a mysterious opponent.

Soon enough, we're off to Costa Rica where Timberlake is seduced by Ben Affleck and the promise of endless riches as a professional poker dude (technical term). Brief glimpses of Deadmau5 and bikini-clad women follow, hammering home the point that it's pretty great to be rich and in Costa Rica. Ah, but the law catches up to Timberlake, turning him against Ben Affleck - who, it must be said, is chewing the scenery with even more voracity than that of the crocodiles he keeps in his super-villain backyard.

Poker on film is notoriously difficult to make exciting, which should explain why Runner Runner has made the choice to instead focus on people yelling at each other in a tropical locale.

Of interest to fans of Comedy Bang! Bang! and Parks and Recreation is the presence of Ben Schwartz, which just might make the experience of watching Runner Runner worth it. But probably not.

TUESDAY, OCT. 8

In recent times, Frank Herbert has been getting a lot of attention in Tacoma for being the most accomplished local boy who nobody knows is from Tacoma. There's a movement afoot to get the Dune writer his own Tacoma park, which has once again shone the spotlight on Herbert. Tuesday, Tacoma's well-received new cocktail lounge Hilltop Kitchen will celebrate the science fiction author's birthday by creating six craft cocktails based on Herbert's work.

A joint production of Hilltop Kitchen, Post Defiance, Erik Hanberg (the man who has been pushing for Herbert's park) and King's Books, the event dubbed "Cocktails Through a Stillsuit: A Toast to Frank Herbert" will feature cocktails with names such as Duncan Idaho, Golden Path, and Orange Catholic. If any of those names ring a bell in your nerdy ears, it might behoove you to get a drink through a stillsuit. There will also be copies of Herbert's works available, in case all those names are meaningless to you. May as well pick up a copy of Dune and get caught up.

FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF TIME

As I write this, it's been twenty-four hours since one of the greatest television shows of all time ended its triumphant run of unrivaled quality after five seasons. I speak, of course, of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

Seriously, though, if you want to avoid spoilers about the finale of Breaking Bad - like, how CRAZY was it that Jesse was an alien the whole time? - now's the time to stop reading. Or, if you're one of those people who seems to take some sick pride in having never seen an episode of Breaking Bad, but still like to read recaps so you can keep track of this cultural phenomenon and make little snide remarks to your friends, I will NEVER understand you, and I would love for you stop reading, as well.

Is there any other way it could have gone? Jesse's free. Walt's money is going to an unwilling Flynn. Hank will have the opportunity to get a proper burial. Todd's dead as a doornail (he was also a Groucho Marx fan, if his ringtone is to be believed. Walt died like Jesse James. He will always be Heisenberg - a larger-than-life master criminal, a man who never made one false move.

It was a brilliant finale, a finale that strived unabashedly to please the fans. Not to bring anyone down, but you know that road that Jesse speeds away on to certain freedom? Is that same road that the cops sped in on?

You don't think ... Nah. Let's stick with the Mega Happy Ending.

Note: Pinkman died on the way back to his home planet.

LINK: Nerd Alert columns

TUESDAY, OCT. 1 2013 >>>

1. The Grand Cinema screens Hannah Arendt, a biopic of influential German-Jewish philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt. Arendt's reporting on the 1961 trial of ex-Nazi Adolf Eichmann in The New Yorker - controversial both for her portrayal of Eichmann and the Jewish councils - introduced her now-famous concept of the "Banality of Evil." Using footage from the actual Eichmann trial and weaving a narrative that spans three countries, the film beautifully turns the often invisible passion for thought into immersive, dramatic cinema. Catch it at 2:40 and 6:45 p.m.

2. Every Tuesday, Maxwell's Speakeasy serves two chef's choice appetizers and two house wines or draft beers for $15. Chef Slater and server extraordinaire and wine pro Kent Bolden sample wines weeks in advance, mull them over, discuss possible pairings, sample more, then create an awesome dining experience.

3. Timberland Reads Together - a month-long series exploring a novel's importance in society through assemblies, images, film, live music and theater - has invited author Timothy Egan, who penned Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis, to kick off the program at 7 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library.  Egan will recount the pioneering photographer Edward Curtis' life-risking effort to document the disappearing North American Indian nation, offering insight into the danger and resolve behind his venture, his elevation to an impassioned advocate, and the posthumous discovery of his achievements. 

4. "Now Wally, I want you to go in the living room and pick up those orange peels that you left on the coffee table. If your father comes home and sees them he'll be in a terrible mood all through dinner and won't let you and The Beaves rock the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m." - June Cleaver

5. Though the musicians at the Olympia Songwriters' Circle may not sit around and sing "Kumbaya," they are still offered a relaxed, supportive and collaborative vibe at 7 p.m. in Traditions Cafe. Everyone is invited to come with instruments, but the circle is also open to people who may only want to listen and observe.

LINK: Tuesday, Oct. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Are you a social media butterfly? Can't live without your smartphone?

Or would you prefer to have nothing to do with it?

Love or loathe it, digital communication technology has dramatically changed the personal communication and interpersonal interaction landscape and it is here for the long haul.

And as the technology continues to grow, some are taking pause. What are the current and future human impacts and implications of cell phones, social media, and the Internet?

Documentary filmmaker, director, and Pacific Northwest native Dominic H. White asks these questions and more in his new eye-opening documentary, DSKNECTD, which screens Tuesday, Oct. 8 as part of the 2013 Tacoma Film Festival. The documentary delves into how mobile devices; virtual worlds, social media and the Internet are reshaping human interactions. Looking at the good, bad, and the ugly, White leaves the viewer in the end pondering their own personal connections to technology.

Now, South Sound residents will have the opportunity to put these questions to the test, too.

A special screening will be held at the University of Washington of Tacoma's Carwein Auditorium. Sponsored by UWT, White will be on hand for a Q&A session after the screening.

DSKNECTD, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, Carwein Auditorium, University of Washington of Tacoma, 1754 Commerce St., Tacoma, free, tacomafilmfestival.com

MONDAY, SEPT. 30 2013 >>>

1. Look! Over in the corner! It's some drunks! It's some trash movie buffs! It's a bunch of cheesy movies! Actually, it's all of those things. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathers at 7 p.m. in the Acme Grub Cage bar to watch cheesy superhero movies. As always, admission is free, popcorn is free, drinks are delicious and raffle participation is appreciated and fun.

2. It's a rainy Monday in Tacoma, but inside The New Frontier Lounge, the night is hot. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. have launch the city's newest jazz jam inviting talent to sit in as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about. It kicks off at 8 p.m.

3. In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems guitarist Rafael Tranquilino must fuse genres across various musical projects in order to stay afloat. His arrangements incorporate blues, funk, rock, funk, ska, metal, reggae, Latin and jazz-fusion. As accomplished as he is varied, Tranquilino can be seen every Monday night as host of Stonegate Pizza's rockin' blues, if not experimental, jam at 8 p.m.

4. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned" is your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, if you're into it, it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's goth and industrial scene. Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs will spin, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50.

5. Want to feel like a rock star without all the pain and annoyance of having to be a  fire-breathing demon that bleeds from the mouth? Then hit Jazzbones Monday nights for Rockaraoke at 9 p.m., where you can belt out songs like the Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and enough INXS tunes to make you feel like you're on a reality show, and other hits from the days when you made mixtapes by recording the radio, all backed by a live band. Expect a college crowd enjoying $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff Flavor Vodka Bombs.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27 2013 >>>

1. Zombies are taking over T-town - and no - not the bath salt eating kind, but the kind that in real life are fun-loving people who want to get gory for a good cause. The Tacoma Zombie Festival and Preparedness Expo is back, with a new name - QZ-CON - and a military-focused sci-fi convention that combines the popular theme of surviving the zombie apocalypse with old school rockabilly punk. For the next three days at La Quinta Inns & Suites, expect a refugee camp military vehicle display, kid's zombie hunter costume contest, zombie freeze tag, open invitational writer's slush party, with music by The Hot Roddin' Romeos and Back Alley Barbers Saturday. This is a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project.

2. On Erin Island, an idyllic fishing village off the coast of Ireland, the crew of a fishing boat disappears, whales start appearing dead on the shore, a local lobsterman catches a strange tentacled creature in his trap. Soon it becomes clear there's something big out there, and that it's hungry. It's time to rally the villagers, arm the troops ... and head to the pub. Grabbers opens today at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's review here.

3. Jeff Torlina, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology in Utah, will launch the 2013-2014 Saint Martin's University Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series with a talk that will underscore the importance of social justice in creating sustainable peace at 4 p.m. in the University's Harned Hall.

4. Instead of just one weekend, the Broadway Center is expanding its Tacoma Fall Free For All festival throughout the year, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. when Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir performs at the Rialto Theater. A San Francisco based vocalist and percussionist, Tillery has explored African drumming, blues and African American roots music. With the choir, she focuses on spirituals, field hollers and black folk music rooted in the South.

5. Southwest Louisiana-based guitarist, songwriter, and singer Sonny Landreth is a musician's musician. His unorthodox blues slide guitar style comes from the manner in which he simultaneously plays slide and makes fingering movements on the fretboard. Landreth, who has an easygoing personality, can play it all, like any good session musician. Watch how it is done at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

LINK: Friday, Sept. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 2013 >>>

1. You say you want some spooky?  Having started the journey as a one-dude act, using machines to complement his organ skills, The Voodoo Organist - a Los Angeles artist sometimes known as Scott Wexton, who channels Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Devo, the Doors and Lon Chaney to conjure a circus of lounge sounds peppy and dark - now travels the country with drummer Robin Kennon, which is an improvement drastically evident live. That said, the wail of the Voodoo Organist's Hammond and the moan of synths will get inside you at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones - and it just might wreck you for good.

2. In recognition of the 10 year anniversary of the glassblowing partnership between Museum of Glass and Finland's Iittala, Inc., the exhibition "An Experiment in Design Production: The Enduring Birds of Iittala" pays special attention to the history of the Iittala glass factory in Nuutajärvi, Finland. Like other recent closures in Europe, such as the Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland, Nuutajärvi has reached a point of no return and is likely to close its doors sometime in 2014. The exhibition opens at 10 a.m. at the Museum of Glass and runs through January 12, 2014.

3. Meet artist Sean Orlando, the artist commissioned through a national call-to-artists to create artwork for Tacoma's 26th and Pacific Avenue gateway intersection. An Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum and a celebrated East Bay (San Francisco) surrealistic, steampunk, high-tech, kenetic sculptor, Orlando has created some amazing public and private art. See samples of Orlando's past work, provide input, and learn more about the project from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Anthem Coffee, 1911 Pacific Ave. and another from 6-7:30 p.m. at 301 Puyallup Ave.

4. On the northern reaches of our continent, towering mountains are the only skyscrapers, lit until late at night in summer, then darkened in winter. Pristine waters serve moose caribou, and three species of bears in an unbroken landscape. Jonathan Waterman has spent decades exploring these awe-inspiring spaces. Meet hih, have him sign Northern Exposures: An Adventuring Career in Stories & Images and watch his slide presentation at 7 p.m. in the Olympic Room of the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.

5. "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay / I sleep all night and I work all day I cut down trees, I eat my lunch / I go to the lavatory." We're 89 percent sure Monty Python's "The Lumberjack Song" won't be included in Peter Reid's lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. Reid, a member of the Schafer family, will show recently restored films of 1926 logging operations of one of the largest lumber businesses in the Northwest. After the 45-minute film, Reid and Barbara Seal Ogle will talk about their just-released book, Schafer State Park. We are 94 percent sure the two speakers would enjoy seeing you dressed in a plaid flannel shirt, some old jeans and boots, snapping suspenders and yanking on a fake beard. That's OK!

LINK: Wednesday, Sept. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, record holder for Most Well-Adjusted Former Child Star, has revealed himself, over the years, to not only be a surprisingly capable dramatic actor, but a closet old-school showman. This is a guy who longs for the days of the triple-threat - acting, singing, dancing, with an impeccable sense of class. It would seem, then, given his druthers of writing and directing his first movie, that he would steer his ship in the direction of some winning musical in the style of Donald O'Connor or Gene Kelly.

It's befuddling, then, that he would make his directorial debut with the story of a Jersey Shore meathead and his struggle to overcome sex addiction.

Don Jon's manic energy and questionable choice of subject matter recalls Romance & Cigarettes, the genuinely odd directorial debut of John Turturro (a man who, more and more, seems like he might be a legit weirdo).

Gordon-Levitt, in voice-over, runs through the most important things in life: his car, his family, his church, his friends, his porn, his - wait, what? Soon, the picture becomes clear of a self-obsessed sex addict whose life is dominated by an insatiable need to see - just see - every naked woman that it is possible to see.

Soon, though, Gordon-Levitt's world is turned upside down by the appearance of Scarlett Johannson and her atrocious Jersey accent. Can Don Jon learn to give up his porn obsession so he can win the love of a good woman? I mean, can he? And why? And who cares?

Tony Danza pops up as Gordon-Levitt's spaghetti-slurping father - a role he was born to play. Gordon-Levitt, meanwhile, was born to never play the role he gave himself in Don Jon. If I wanted to watch a movie about a greasy-haired gym rat who refers to women in terms of whether or not they're "10s," and who refers to his friends as his "boys," and who just can't quit watching porn long enough to sleep with Scarlett Johansson, I'd, uh... No, I actually just don't want to watch that.

QUESTION: Did you see Battle of the Year?

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24 2013 >>>

1. Harvest season cannot be denied it's special place in everyone's lives, unless your on a strict high-preservative, low-nutrition-value, fast-food-for-life diet. If so, please stop reading now. For those who can drive right on by a drive-thru window without even a thought, be sure to stop by the 6th Ave Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. for its annual Harvest Fest. On the menu will be Infinite Soups bowls, seasonal salads from Zestful Gardens and Terry's Berries and drinkies. Barleywine Revue will keep the head buzzin'. 

2. A roller coaster mix of drama and comedy will hit Tacoma today when The Grand Cinema screens eight short films from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Short Films program at 2:10 and 7:05 p.m. Vibrant storytelling highlights the group, including fiction, documentary and animation, with five award-winners.

3. Every Tuesday, Maxwell's Speakeasy serves two chef's choice appetizers and two house wines or draft beers for $15. Chef Hudson Slater tells us, "It's nothing over the top but keeps things fun and fresh." Chef Slater and server extraordinaire and wine pro Kent Bolden sample wines weeks in advance, mull them over, discuss possible pairings, sample more, then create a the Tuesday experience.

4. Did you know that Roald Dahl nearly lost his nose in a car accident? Or that he was once a chocolate candy tester for Cadbury's? Have you heard about his involvement in the Great Mouse Plot of 1924? Did you know he was a spy? Before beginning his literary career, the Welsh children's author Dahl was sort of a spy during World War II. A member of the British Royal Airforce, Dahl served in Washington D.C. as Assistant Air Attache but also worked with the Canadian master spy William Stephensen. Dahl wrote his first published essay, Shot Down Over Libya. If you'd like to hear about the nose thing, you should attend the YA Not Book Club at 7 p.m. inside King's Books as Dahl's autobiographical Boy: Tales of Childhood will be discussed. If you'd like to hear about his spy work, start a Spy Not Book Club.

5. A former sports broadcaster, comedian and actor Sean McBride headlines Ha Ha Tuesday comedy show at 8:30 p.m. in Jazzbones.

LINK: Tuesday, Sept. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Vive la geekerie toujours, mes amis! Nerd Alert is the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete, and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

As you read this, my wife and I are vacationing in the City of Lights, guzzling vin ordinaire and pretending we understand a single word anyone is saying. We'll return by this weekend, but too stuffed with macarons and stinky unpasteurized cheese to do much more than launder our Tour d'Eiffel T-shirts and clear the DVR. It falls upon you, my fellow Yanks, to uphold the honor of Uncle Sam in our absence by acting like ugly Americans and scarfing freedom fries.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26

My favorite sitcom, Parks and Recreation, recommences Thursday night, which allows me to enjoy he-man Ron Swanson and not-so-he-man Tom Haverford as Yahweh intended: without a damn laugh track. Not so The Big Bang Theory, which also returns tonight, its bleachers at Warner Bros. Burbank crammed with appreciative tourists. SNL launches season 39 this weekend, hosted by Tina Fey for the fourth time since her putative escape in 2006. (The musical guest is some indie Canadian outfit called Arcade something-or-other.) The Amazing Race and a rash of cartoon shows are back on Sunday; for you Showtime subscribers, so is Homeland. After all, none of you law-abiding citizens downloaded the new episode from BitTorrent when it leaked a month ago, riiight?

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28

If you've been in the cast or crew of a play, you know it takes weeks of rehearsal, not to mention the months it took some writer to craft the bloody thing. Now squeeze that process into one exhausting day. That's the challenge behind the Double Shot Festival, which offers annual programs of short plays written, memorized, rehearsed, and performed within a single 24-hour period. I've agreed to brave the rigors of jetlag and lukewarm McCafé to direct one, so I hope you'll swing by to say hi and check out the result. If I respond in idiotic Franglish or act otherwise deranged, back away slowly while humming the Marseillaise.

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