WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Beep, Beep: There be cars in the LeMay-America's Car Museum. (News Tribune)

That's A Lot Of Apples: The eight-day strike by Tacoma School District teachers racked up about $566,000 in costs ... so far. (News Tribune)

The Smelter That Keeps On Giving: The public is encouraged to review and comment on a draft cleanup plan for the 1,000-square-mile Tacoma Smelter Plume. (The Suburban Times)

Secret Burial: The body of ousted Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi was buried in an undisclosed location with his son Tuesday. Gadhafi's purported will is to be posted online. (CNN)

Take That McRib!: Burger King has a new burger. (Huffington Post)

They. Are. Iron. Lungs: Black Sabbath reunion looks promising. (Paste Magazine)

What!: Hear new Mazzy Star. (Pitchfork)

Sixty Years Of Cinema in 40 Seconds (because we just don't have time)

TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 2011 >>>

1. French director Catherine Breillat takes Charles Perrault's late 17th-century Sleeping Beauty and turns it into a heady, witty exploration of a young girl becoming a young woman. She's considerably aided in this endeavor by Carla Besnaïnou, the young actress who occupies the bulk of the movie as the prepubescent Anastasia, a 19th-century tomboyish princess cursed to sleep for 100 years and wake up at 16. This French film with English subtitles screens at 2 and 6:30 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema as part of the Tacoma art house's Tuesday Film Series.

2. Sonia Nazario, named one of the most influential Latinos by Hispanic Business Magazine, has tackled issues such as hunger, drug addiction and immigration in her 20-year career as a news reporter. Nazario wrote the Pulitzer-prize winning national best-seller Enrique's Journey, which deals with the struggles faced by a Honduran boy. Nazario will tell all at 11:30 a.m. inside Tacoma Community College's Bldg. 11 Student Center.

3. Artist Colleen Carrigan will discuss her art cards editions and originals in a power point presentation at the Peninsula Art League at 7 p.m. inside the Cottesmore in Gig Harbor.

4. Author Lisa Wade, Ph.D, from Occidental College will lecture on "The Promise and Peril of Hook Up ‘Culture'" at 7 p.m. inside theScandinavian Cultural Center on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University.

5. Under the banner "Forward With Scotland's Past," Battlefield Band has been cranking out Scottish music since the sixties. The Scottish band mixes the old songs with new self-penned material and will perform them on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments at 8 p.m. inside Traditions Café in Olympia.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Freeloaders this week

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Farmers Can Do Anything They Want: Tacoma Farmers Market hosts a "Mini Market" today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the MultiCare Campus in the parking lot across from Wright Park. Ten local vendors will freshen up your life. (Facebook)

Lights On After School: Tacoma School District pilot project has grown from the vision of Tacoma 360, a partnership of local government agencies. (News Tribune)

We're Outta Here: The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria due to "credible threats against his personal safety." (CNN)

Feds Offer New Mortgage Help: President Obama will announce changes in the government's Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) today. (CNN)

Shocking: SNL cast member Darrell Hammond says he drank and did cocaine while with the show. (New York Post)

Yanked: Ben & Jerry's "Schweddy Balls" is being pulled from grocery store shelves. (Jezebel)

Edward Balloonhands: Tim Burton is creating a float for the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. (Hollywood Reporter)

Farting Fozzie Bear: That's just not right! (Hollywood Reporter)

MONDAY, OCT. 24, 2011 >>>

1. Back in 1989, Grant Morrison and Dave McKean published Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was a kind of coffee table art version of Batman - almost a European movie-style Batman, if you will. In celebration of the book, sweet pea will turn on the Batman signal at 8 p.m. summoning the Capes & Cowls Book Club for a discussion of said book inside King's Books.

2. Tacoma has had its share of the unconventional - from an Egyptologist to a Swedish swami; from a dog that rides the rails to octopi that wrestle. Local historian Karla Stover will run through the wackiness at 10:30 a.m. inside the Point Defiance-Ruston Senior Center. Afterward, everyone will nap.

3. Spurred on by encouraging posts from Facebook friends about how much money they've saved and by reality TV shows like "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, more and more people are turning to clipping coupons as a way to stretch their grocery dollars. Heather Clarke in on this couponing thing, too. She will lead a Couponing 101 class at 7 p.m. inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch. Clarke will examine techniques for getting groceries, toiletries and drug store items cheap and even free by using coupons, rebates and sales.

4. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club screens films under the theme "Girls With Guns," plus raffles and free popcorn at 7 p.m. inside the Acme Grub Cage. Weekly Volcano scribe Rev. Adam McKinney has the inside scoop on the club here.

5. The Rod Cook and his crew will fill The Swiss with soulful blues melodies beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events today in the South Sound

LINK: Best freebies of the coming week

THIS WEEK'S BEST FREEBIES OCT. 24-30 >>>

Bobble Tiki loves all holidays - or most of them anyway. Bobble Tiki loves Christmas because he loves getting presents. Bobble Tiki loves Thanksgiving because he loves stuffing his face. And Bobble Tiki loves Halloween because he loves dressing up like a damn fool.

While Halloween falls on a Monday this year, and that may be enough to curb some people's enthusiasm on the 31st, not Bobble Tiki.

Bobble Tiki's a gamer. He gives 110 percent every holiday, whether it's convenient or not. Sure, it'd be a lot easier if Halloween was on a Friday or Saturday, and you could get all liquored up without worrying about work in the morning, but it didn't work out like that.

Halloween's on Monday this year. Pros will deal with it. It can either ruin things for you or inspire you to lift your Halloween game to a whole new level.

Bobble Tiki's inspired. He wants it more. He's celebrating all things scary everyday until Oct. 31 - the cheap way.

MONDAY, OCT. 24: The Tacoma Cult Movie Club presents another free night of movies and popcorn from 7-10 p.m. inside the Acme Grub Cage. Monday's theme is cocked and loaded with flicks involving "Girls With Gun." Scary. Weekly Volcano scribe Rev. Adam McKinney has the inside scoop on the TCMC here.

TUESDAY, OCT.  25: "Each year the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere," Linus explains to Sally as they wait together on Halloween night in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. "He's got to pick this one - he's got to! I don't see how a pumpkin patch could be more sincere than this one," Linus continues. In the end, though, the Great Pumpkin chooses not to grace the Peanuts' pumpkin patch, and a disappointed Linus is forced to wait another year while an irate Sally laments her lost "tricks or treats." Alas, the stench of Lucy's hypocrisy must have been too strong. Let that be a lesson to any of you hipsters out there thinking of dropping by the W.W. Seymour Conservatory to partake in Pumpkin Patch Photos: Come correct or don't come at all. Bobble Tiki doesn't need any snickering from pumpkin haters ruining his chances of seeing the Great Pumpkin. True believers are invited to bring the family and greet the fall with a search for the perfect jack-o'-lantern in the park's fecund pumpkin patch. Snap photos of your young and old ghouls and goblins - a little pumpkin patch will be set up from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Oct. 30. Admission is by donations.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26: Bobble Tiki's shack lies within the city limits of Tacoma and, therefore, Bobble Tiki can join the other Tacoma residents at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's Tacoma Resident Free Day Wednesday. In keeping with this week's Freeloaders theme, Bobble Tiki will concentrate his zoo visit on the scarier creatures such as the raven, blind cave fish, bats, owls and the 16-foot-long Burmese python.

THURSDAY, OCT. 27: Grave Concerns Association member and author Kris Anderson Reisinger reads from her book, Cemeteries of Tacoma, at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. The really spooky part, Reisinger will share personal stories of invisible companions in the graveyard. Yikes!

FRIDAY, OCT. 28: (This Event Has Been Moved To Monday, Oct. 31) MONDAY, OCT. 31 - While Halloween typically represents candy, haunted houses and costume parties, the Castle Megastore in Tacoma hasn't forgotten Bobble Tiki's favorite reason: an excuse for girls to dress like sluts. The warehouse-sized building is loaded with whips, stripper heels, handcuffs and lingerie - you name it. Bobble Tiki has the perfect spot for the ladies in lingerie. E & J Bar and Grill in Lakewood hosts a '90s "Holloween" House Party Friday at 9 p.m., concentrating on its typical hip-hop and R&B tunes. Those in their "pajamas" will receive free entry. Those not will have to pony up $5.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29: Video games have seeped out of Bobble Tiki's computer and become enmeshed in his life. Apparently, video games have also penetrated Halloween. Dorky's Arcade will host a Halloween Show Saturday night featuring the pulsating dance beats and synths meet jagged, buzzsaw guitars and ass-shaking bass lines of Tacoma dance-pink trio Death By Stars. The 8 p.m. free show also includes bands The Hyper-space Sludge Junkies, The Autonomics and the Dirty Words. Throw on your 8-bit punk costumes and party it up at the downtown Tacoma arcade. This show is for those 21 and older.

SUNDAY, OCT. 30: Tacoma Art Museum has partnered with Centro Latino and Proyecto MoLÉ once again to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) culminating with a free community festival Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now in its seventh year, the free festival will feature music, live performances, food and several hands-on art-making activities.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THE TACOMA CULT MOVIE CLUB >>>

The culture of watching bad movies because they're so terrifically bad has been growing, outside of the light, insidiously, for years and years. Edward D. Wood Jr. conquered, very early on, the art of having such awesomely misplaced judgment in one's own talent. In his stead-and especially in the '70s and '80s-this grossly uneven ratio between the ability to make films and the ability to make good films grew to unforeseen heights. Before badness became a desirable quality, before filmmakers became self-aware, there was a sweet spot of awfulness that sprouted ghastly wings and took to the sky. Technology has cemented these oddities, and the Tacoma Cult Movie Club displays them in all their garish glory.

Every month on the second Sunday and fourth Monday from 7-10 p.m., the Acme Grub Cage in Tacoma is taken over by the Tacoma Cult Movie Club (TCMC). The objective: view the strangest nearly-forgotten films imaginable, pieces of cinema that would have faded into complete oblivion were it not for the fervent obsession people like TCMC co-founder the Rev. Colin - along with Tobin Ropes and Holland Hume - possess.

"We do a double feature based on a theme, along with shorts and trailers, and we put together about five different raffle packages," says Rev. Colin. "I pull (every film) out of my personal collection. ... We've done all kinds of themes. Our very first one was a 'biker night.' Last year, we had a 'vampire night.' We've done 'prison night' a couple times, and those usually go over really well."

Films shown at TCMC range from straight-up exploitation movies, like the aforementioned prison films, to horror, sci-fi, fantasy and every bizarre forgotten genre under the sun. Not all of the films are outright terrible. On one of my visits to the Cult Movie Club - in honor of the remake of Clash of the Titans - we watched the original Clash, as well as Sinbad of the Seven Seas. But watching any of these movies, with a group of people, in a place where the liquor is freely flowing, is a fun and uniquely intimate experience. The size of the Acme Grub Cage furthers one's natural inclination to feel as though they're watching some crazy movie at home with a group of friends.

"We have some nights where everyone sort of watches the movies, and there might be a little bit of 'commentary,' shall we say," says Rev. Colin. "But then there are other nights when there are people yelling out throughout the majority of the night. ... I can go either way on that."

As a matter of course, Rev. Colin keeps precisely what films will be shown a secret until their screening. All you receive in advance is a cryptically salacious postcard with a luridly pulpy cover to clue you in on what the theme will entail. These are not merely bad films, mind you. They've risen to a level outside of film, and exist as their own entity. They are cult movies, and they're dying to be unearthed.

Tacoma Cult Movie Club

Every second Sunday and fourth Monday, 7-10 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 24: "Girls With Guns" theme
Acme Grub Cage, 1310 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma
253.272.1892

LINK: Acme Grub Cage

BECAUSE TOP TEN LISTS ARE SO LAST MONTH >>>

Four years after a dozen people calling themselves the Olympia Film Society gathered to watch a few flicks at the old Washington School in Olympia, the OFS launched the Olympia Film Society at the State Theater in 1984. Twenty-eight years later, and countless fire dance performances on Fifth Avenue, the Olympia Film Festival will consume the Capitol Theater from Nov. 11-20 with film premieres, the popular All Freakin' Night series, workshops, guest appearances and its infamous opening night party featuring the film Gold Diggers of 1933.

Below, OFF Director J.R. Baker comes clean with his top six favorite anticipated events at the 28th annual Olympia Film Festival.

NUMBER ONE: "The Opening Night Golden Gala (showing Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933) is going to be great fun and a bit campy. Lots of folks will be dressing up and we're pushing to wear a bit ol' golden attire."

NUMBER TWO: "On Nov. 12, Crazy Horse is a highly-acclaimed documentary about a Parisian strip club: sensuous, sexy, superb."

NUMBER THREE: "On Nov. 14, Dial M for Murder- in 3D. Scary, fun and presented the way Hitchcock intended. Alternately, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wool, with Liz Taylor at her finest."

NUMBER FOUR: "On Nov. 19, The White Shadow is a recently unearthed Hitchcock, found in a New Zealand vault last spring. Acquiring this film made in 1924 is a major coup for the film festival."

NUMBER FIVE: "Again on Nov. 19, All Freakin' Night has a wonderful line-up this year with Brian Yunza (director of Society) introducing the films."

NUMBER SIX: "Lastly, on Nov. 20 at our Closing Night Gala we're showing Once upon a Time in Anatolia. It was the Grand Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival this year, and the film I am most eager to see."

There you have it - six reasons why you should attend this year's Olympia Film Festival from the man in the know.

All the glorious OFF ticket information can be found here, including package deals.

LINK: Olympia Film Festival website

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

More Doughnuts (Never Gets Old): Pay raises are in the works for Tacoma's police and fire chiefs. (News Tribune)

Filling Space: Diane Hansen, Lance Kagey, Janette Ryan, Mary Rothlisberger, Lauren McCleary and others occupy Tacoma. (Spaceworks Tacoma)

Viadoom: Driving to Seattle will suck more. (News Tribune)

Can'twell: Campaign contributions to Sen. Maria Cantwell are off by 30 percent compared with the same point in her re-election campaign six years ago. (News Tribune)

218 Heart: Freed from Moammar Gadhafi's oppressive rule, Libyans face new challenges - building a new government and repairing the war-ravaged country. (CNN)

Got Five Minutes?: The Three Musketeers trailer. (trailers.apple.com)

Today In WTF?: MC Hammer is launching his own Internet search engine. (NME)

It Could Be Yours: Tony Stark's Iron Man 2 racing suit, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow catsuit and more. (Blastr)

La-la-la-la: Pee-wee Herman wants to be on Dancing with the Stars? (E)

LSD fail

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Gadhafi Is Dead: Fighters attacked the house where Moammar Gadhafi was hiding and shot him when he tried to flee, a spokesman for Libya's new government says. (CNN)

Because Thieves Suck: Auction items to raise money for 49-year-old mother's bone marrow transplant were stolen out of a Tacoma storage unit. She needs your help. (News Tribune)

That's Some Initiative: With more than $34 million committed to both sides of the campaign. Initiative 1183 is the most expensive ballot measure in state history. (News Tribune)

Sea Of Pink: The Thursday Tacoma Runners group dedicates tonight's 3-mile jaunt to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throw on some pink at join the group, which launches into stride at 6:30 p.m. at The Social Bar and Grill. (Facebook)

Not Good: September saw 18,400 jobs lost, the first monthly loss since August 2010 and the most since early 2009. (Seattle Times)

"Dark Blood": River Phoenix's final film to be released after 18 years. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Metallica/Lou Reed Collaboration: Hear the whole Lulu now. (loureedmetallica.com)

Not Happy Days For Some: Fraud claim thrown out in Happy Days lawsuit. (CNN)

Halloween Costumes: Let's look at some worn by TV characters. (The Atlantic)

CIRCUMSTANCE PLAYING NOW AT THE GRAND CINEMA >>>

A feeling of paranoia arrives early in writer-director Maryam Keshavarz's film, Circumstance, and it never leaves. We see two young women - the beautiful Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and the beautiful Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) - giggling and playfully pushing each other on a sidewalk. Their intimacy means friendship, but suggests more: these teenagers are in love. Suddenly we watch them through the grainy lens of a security camera. The movie refuses to explain this moment, and it doesn't have to. We know intuitively this forbidden affair cannot last - the rest is simply waiting for the circumstances of its destruction.

Before that happens, Keshavarz introduces us to her heroines' families and their lives in Tehran, Iran. Atafeh's parents joined the political revolution a generation before but have since settled into a comfortable, bourgeois existence. Their son Mehran returns home after trouble with drugs, converts to Islam and begins working for the local Morality Police. Shireen, meanwhile, no longer has her mother and father (eliminated apparently for political reasons), and now suffers calls from suitors arranged by her uncle. Both girls find escape in the underground club scene - and in each other.

Like Brokeback Mountain, Circumstance rises above its hackneyed love-against-the-odds plot with truly passionate performances from the lead actresses. The film also forces you to feel the fear and tension between characters. No one lets on how much, if anything, they know about Atafeh and Shireen's true relationship. The suspicious glance a mother gives the girls during an otherwise pleasant volleyball game could mean nothing, or mean everything.

Thankfully the film diffuses the building suspense with some lighthearted teenage abandon. The funniest scene shows friends dubbing sex scenes from the American movie Milk into Persian. But like the authorities who sit hidden in the shadows with their cameras, always recording, Circumstance reveals much more than what simply meets the eye.

Last Saturday afternoon's showing of Circumstance concluded with a live Skype chat with the film's composer, Gingger Shankar. (Her last name should strike a chord; her grandfather is famous Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar.) She visited The Grand Cinema back in August for the 25 New Faces Festival, which screened another project she had worked on.

With credits that include The Passion of the Christ and Charlie Wilson's War, Shankar discussed Circumstance's unique musical presence, which blends Iranian and Indian styles and doesn't conform to a traditional soundtrack format. "Music was a character in the film," she says, "(since) Iranian culture is a culture where everybody sings and it's always happy."

The joy behind the music, however, ebbs away as the film's tone darkens, and Shankar traced this trajectory: "At the beginning...there's so much music, and as the story progresses and the brother (Mehran) becomes more fanatical, the music starts dropping out more and more...(and) becomes very discordant."

Circumstance is currently showing at the Grand Cinema.