MICK FLAAEN RETURNS WITH GRIT CITY PRODUCTIONS >>>

With 2012 imminent, I can't help but ponder what the future will bring while looking back at these past 12 months. It was just a few days before Christmas last year when I posted my first "Movie Biz Buzz" on this blog, and needless to say - so I'll say it anyway - its appearance rocked the film world ever after. (Back me up, Scorsese.)

My editor, Matt Driscoll, envisioned the column as more than another recap of big-release flicks each week. Besides, my two cents ain't worth a dime a dozen. (Don't try to do the math on that one.) Driscoll wanted me to dig deeper than that, and deeper meant closer to home. The "Buzz" would hopefully mean more to readers if it chronicled the stories and the visions of filmmakers honing their craft right here in the South Sound. But the parameters of my search begged a question: Would I find enough stories tucked away in this area to keep the column alive?

Fifty-two weeks later, and I can report with some pride that, contrary to popular belief, our community boasts a bounty of film artists that won't dry up any time soon. And as it turns out, I end year one at the beginning, with Tacoma's Mick Flaaen.

Last December Flaaen kicked "Buzz" off by talking about his directorial debut, the dramatic short Welcome to Parkland. After an enthusiastic turnout for its February premiere at The Grand Cinema, Flaaen hopes to release it for public viewing online by the end of this week - a digital present for all of us. (Just search "Mick Flaaen" on Vimeo.)

As the film's title suggests, its creator loves the local scene. Besides acting this year in two episodes of the ongoing theater series Java Tacoma, Flaaen made a short documentary about the city's graffiti artists called Paint. The project grew out of work he had done as a student at Clover Park Technical College. His instructor at the time, Austin Iverson, encouraged Flaaen to complete Paint. Its soundtrack includes music from Iverson's band Hands of Toil, infusing the piece with a lot of energy.

By showcasing two different mediums (graffiti and music) within a third (cinema), Paint epitomizes what Flaaen the artist sees as his responsibility. "The whole idea of being a Tacoma filmmaker," he says, "is trying to encapsulate some of the talent that we have in Tacoma, in all the art forms. So Paint is just a representation or documentation of that."

Already Paint has met the festival circuit with success, an entry at Tacoma and Gig Harbor in October as well as ONECLOUDFEST, done entirely on Facebook. Making OCF pleased Flaaen, since an online festival can potentially reach many more eyes than those who attend a theater.

"We got to share Tacoma with the rest of the world, so I'm really proud of that," he says.

That civic pride rolls right into his new filmmaking group Grit City Productions, formed by Bob Potasky and so far includes members Flaaen, Potasky, Kim Whalen, and Bernadette "Berni" Goulet. GCP currently has two works in the works: the short narrative Hearts and Fist has nearly wrapped shooting; meanwhile, Flaaen has returned to the land of documentary with the "tentatively titled" A Funeral Dance, which looks at another local subject - the MLK Ballet and dance group The MOVE!NG Company.

Afterward it may be right back into fiction with Goulet's new script. (IT HAS ZOMBIES!) Goulet met Flaaen and the gang as a fellow Clover Park student, and loves the collaboration process:

"It's something I've always wanted to do, and I'm just finally happy that I'm doing it, instead of always just thinking about it, dreaming about it."

Follow Paint on Facebook here.

I dragged Flaaen and Goulet into the studio this week; give a listen to my interview with them on Volcano Radio, which airs Thursday from 8-9 p.m. on www.nwczradio.com and is available as a podcast at weeklyvolcano.com and volcanoradio.com directly following.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

University Place: Pretty on the outside, ugly on the inside. (News Tribune)

Fast-Food Robber: Not fast enough. (News Tribune)

Hero Of The Year: Robin Lim, an American woman who has helped thousands of poor Indonesian women have a healthy pregnancy and birth, was named the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year on Sunday night. (CNN)

Holiday Guide: Geek Greetings Edition. (Weekly Volcano)

American Film Institute: Top films of 2011. (L.A. Times)

Louis C.K. Special: Buy it for $5. (buy.louisck.net)

Smothers Brothers: Coming to the big screen. (Deadline)

Hair Metal: The best of all time? (L.A. Weekly)

SUNDAY, DEC. 11, 2011 >>>

1. The Finnish legend of Santa Claus is a little darker than ours. Namely, he shows up and demands presents. And the version of Santa Claus in Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is after more than presents. Basically, a greedy corporation unleashes demon Santa from his icy mountain and he starts nabbing kiddies. So a couple trappers have to end his ass. The full-length film in Finnish with sub-titles will screen at 2 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

2. The juried Fine Arts and Crafts Show will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Women's Club of Olympia House in downtown Olympia.

3. Astronauts, Elvis, sky rides, royalty, the Kennedys, religion, topless  showgirls, the Canadian tattoo, the Cold War and futurist speculation - the 1962 Seattle World's Fair had it all.  The era and its people come to life in The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy - a new, coffee-table-style book by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein filled with fascinating history, stories and pictures to celebrate the fair's upcoming 50th anniversary. Stein will drop by the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch for a 2 p.m. chat, slide show and signing.

4. Gen Silent is a critically-acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that explores the challenges of six LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, trans) seniors who face the difficult choice of hiding their friends, their spouses and their entire lives in order to survive in the health care system. The film will screen at 5 p.m. as part of SAGE Olympia's senior gay and lesbian film series at the Capitol Theater.

5. Little Bill and the Blue Notes headlines the Christmas Blues Vespers show at 5 p.m. inside Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Happy hours!

THE ART OF VOLUNTEERING >>>

It's been part of the dating dogma for many a year that the perfect place to meet someone is in a non-threatening, low-pressure environment. The usual examples are grocery stores (weird) and museums (weirder).

Why not get to know new people in a place that's both fun and rewarding, like The Grand Cinema in downtown Tacoma?

Alright, I may be laying the theater's match-making ability on a little thick, but only by a little bit. In my time as a volunteer (and, later, as a projectionist), not only did I see a number of friendships and romances form in the lobby, but I eventually met the people who would later introduce me to everyone I would become friends with in Tacoma. I understand that - if you're new to Tacoma, or any city - it can be hard to make friends. While I was born and raised in Tacoma, in 2004 I knew hardly anyone. On a whim, I began volunteering at The Grand Cinema, and it turned into one of the richest and most enjoyable periods in my life.

Here's how it works: Volunteer shifts range from two to four hours. For each shift you work, you receive a free pass to come see a movie. Tasks include making popcorn, serving concessions, running cash registers, taking tickets and cleaning up the theaters after movies finish. Typically, rushes last about an hour; you have the rest of your shift to hang out and talk with your fellow volunteers. If you ever want to get away, you can duck into one of the movies for a little bit, but it's fun to get to know the people you work with.

Now, I know calling The Grand an "arthouse" may conjure up images in your mind of snooty people with upturned noses, but the volunteers that make the Grand Cinema tick run the gamut, from high school students to senior citizens, liberal to conservative, serious to silly, and everything in between. Their unifying quality is the desire to keep a worthy entity like The Grand Cinema up and running, and to have fun in an environment that encourages creativity.

It's a happy coincidence that the Grand Cinema consistently plays the best movies in town. Perhaps you can take advantage of the free passes you receive as a volunteer and take a new friend out for dinner and a movie.

[The Grand Cinema, 606 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.593.4474]

PETE ANDERSON MOVES ON WITH THE WAIT >>>

This year I've decided to watch safely from the sidelines as the gift-giving game heats up. Everyone seems to want a piece of the action - while Aunt Darlene knits the pinky on your new pair of gloves, filmmakers like Pete Anderson check twice their own handmade works of art before shipping out copies to festivals everywhere.

And in return, Anderson has just one item on his wish list: an acceptance letter.

With Anderson's feature ensemble Break completed this past fall, he has his fingers crossed on getting the thumbs up from two major fests in 2012, Cinequest in Silicon Valley and the Seattle International Film Festival. The former possesses some nostalgic value, as Anderson grew up in San Jose. And Break bursts with enough local spots to hopefully please the folks at SIFF.

"It's kind of (the film's) hometown," Anderson says. "We made a lot of the movie right around where the film would be screening ...(near) Seattle Center."

When he and I last spoke in September, Anderson was just rolling into production on a new feature called We Have the Weekend. For several weeks the project soared: "We had half the movie shot. Awesome locations, awesome footage," Anderson recalls.

Then difficulties with a main actor surfaced, and he had no other option but to shelve Weekend. On a hard drive it remains, Anderson's efforts never to see the light of day. But don't feel too bad; he for one refuses to cry over spilt movies.

"You have to look at the alternative: Am I going to waste more energy on it?" he asks.

If only we could all move on from our passion projects with the same resolve. (The tree can't take any more ornaments, Dad! Just walk away!)

While he waits on word from the festivals regarding Break, Anderson forges ahead with pre-production for the aptly-named The Wait. This Rashomon-type tale (which Anderson wrote) deals with a dead woman as seen from three very different perspectives: the parents, brother and boyfriend she left behind. Shooting begins in February. Like the Break Facebook page here.

LINK: We wrote about Anderson's film Break

TUESDAY, DEC. 6, 2011 >>>

1. The theme of Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express, like that of this year's NBA season, is "Believe," though you might not believe the groundbreaking animation that hits you like childhood wonderment on Xmas morning. Zemeckis engaged a team of 500 special effect specialists to blend live-action renderings and snowy, CGI backdrops that look like something out of the Pixar factory. Based on Chris Van Allsburg's best-selling book, what unfolds is an adventure that follows a doubting young boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. Today as part of its Tuesday Film Series, The Grand Cinema will screen the awesome film at 2:05 and 6:30 p.m.

2. A group of Tacoma City Council members, ecologists, the public, business leaders, asphalt pourers, UW Tacoma officials, parking stall line painters, bloggers and other folks who have made parking their life blood will gather at 2:30 p.m. inside the William Philip Hall on the UW Tacoma campus to talk about parking issues in downtown Tacoma. At this drop-in public session participants will work with large interactive maps to identify parking challenges and opportunities in the areas around the UWT campus and in the Dome District. Several participants will return to parking tickets on their vehicles.

3. Adventure. For some, it is an irrepressible welling in the chest that will never go away no matter how many lakes canoed, rock faces climbed, horizons paddled after, peaks scaled, or miles of trail hiked. For others, adventure is something to marvel at - a celebration of man's achievements. Most folks tend to admire the adventurers of the world, whether they are adventurers of the mind, the spirit or of the physical world. The touring Banff Mountain Film Festival lands in Tacoma at the Rialto Theater at 7 p.m. Climbing, biking, skiing, snowboarding - it's all up on the big screen, looming high and making you feel bad for sitting on your duff almost all year long.

4. Between 8 and 9 p.m. the community will Skansie Brothers Park in Gig Harbor and sing to the more fortunate. That's right holiday lovers, the Argosy Christmas Ship - full of folks jingling their jewelry and tossing back fancy cocktails - will drift by the park while you shiver in the cold, singing carols with the St. Martins University Chorale to the partiers. It's a beautiful thing.\

5, Hey kids! Do you like the rock and roll? Mikal Cronin, The Bermudas and Si Si Si will rock The New Frontier Lounge beginning at 9 p.m. Rev. Adam McKinney has the details here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: This week's freebies

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Gov. Chris Gregoire: She wants marijuana at Walgreens. (News Tribune)

Battle Of The City Manager Stars: Tacoma City Council will run them through a series of skill tests. No confirmation on the jousting test. (News Tribune)

Pres. Obama: Inside his re-election math. (CNN)

Burma: Not that bad after all. (BBC)

Game Of Thrones: It's awesome. (MTV)

Grammy Nominees List: C'mon Foo Fighters! (USA Today)

Today In WTF?: Hanson to launch "Mmmhop" beer brand. (NME)

Best Metal albums Of 2011: Surprisingly, no bands listed with "butterfly" in their name. (NPR)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

City Of Tacoma Manager Job Update: Five candidates remain. (News Tribune)

Thank A First Responder: Do it today. (News Tribune)

Just In Time For Christmas: Puyallup School District employees have to give back money. (News Tribune)

Global Financial System: The U.S. Federal Reserve, acting with other nations' central banks, to make it cheaper for banks around the world to borrow U.S. dollars. (CNN)

Well, It's Really Laughable Ha, Ha, Ha ...: Morrissey is on a U.S. stamp. (What Would Tyler Durden Do?)

Here They Come: Uncut's to 50 Albums of 2011. (Stereogum)

Pull Up! Pull Up!: Pan Am isn't doing so well. (E)

Fans Should Set Their DVRs To Play: Star Trek documentary airing tomorrow on the Science Channel. (USA Today)

Smart: The lampshade of silence. (Core77)

Stanley!

ACTOR-PRODUCER TONYA YORKE PUTS THE WESTERN IN WESTERN WASHINGTON >>>

Growing up, did you go through that cowboy phase? You know - the oversized hat and boots, plastic sheriff's badge, popgun, the works. You'd hoot and holler through all the rooms in the house and imagine every sibling and/or pet was a villainous land baron. Truthfully, I always saw myself more as a Ghostbuster or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. (Leonardo really rocked the blue.)

These days, I can't help but enjoy a good Western movie that idealizes a period in American history while showing off this country's natural beauty.

When it comes to gorgeous vistas, the Pacific Northwest has plenty, just not the arid, evergreen-starved variety we've seen in countless films from this genre. Or does it?

Tonya Yorke of Tacoma seems to think so. Yorke is currently producing a short Western called The Shootout, shot entirely here in Washington state. Craig Muller's script takes a page from history and looks back at legendary outlaw Jesse James. Though rooted in the past, The Shootout transmits themes relevant to today.

"It's a story about faith and choices, and the paths that those choices lead us down," says Yorke.

Location scouting meant finding both interiors and exteriors true to the time, which posed some difficulty. "You're working in the Northwest, (so) you got to work around things," Yorke admits, but believes in her crew's ingenuity. "Creative camerawork will save us."

Beyond producing, she will also appear in front of the camera, playing wife to Seattle actor Ernie Joseph's U.S. Marshal assigned to hunt down James. Get the lowdown on The Shootout here. And if you feel mighty kind this holiday season, donate some moola to the production here.

Yorke moseyed into the studio this week - hear us chat and stuff on Volcano Radio, which airs Thursday from 8-9 p.m. on www.nwczradio.com and is available as a podcast at weeklyvolcano.com directly following.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

SoDo Tacoma: A half-million-dollar grant has launched the City of Tacoma toward pre-approving up to 30 million square feet of new development in south downtown. (News Tribune)

Score One For Tacoma: Tacoma had more schools named to the Innovative Schools list than any other school district. (News Tribune)

United States Receives A Warning: Pakistan's prime minister vows there will be "no more business as usual" with Washington after NATO aircraft killed two dozen Pakistan troops. (CNN)

Occupy Camps: The stakes will be pulled on Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)

Oh, Great: New Star Trek film will be in 3-D. (Deadline)

Interview: Noel Gallagher is on his own. (The New York Times)

Make It Happen Murray!: There could be a Flight of the Conchords movie. (New York Magazine)

Thought Zoot Would Be Higher: Top 25 Muppets (CinemaBlend)