THE REVEREND COLIN SHOWS US THE LIGHT OF BAD FILMS >>>

Off the top of my head I can't think of many film clubs led by a kilted ordained minister who moonlights as a karaoke host and (according to his business card) gun-for-hire.

Except for one. God bless this town.

The Reverend Colin, along with Mary K. Johnson and Tobin Ropes of Mad Hat Tea Company fame, kicked off the first Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathering in April 2009. Inspired by a Seattle group that regularly ran grindhouse cinema, the three founders desired to bring their own love of trashy art into this eclectic community. The free meetings take place at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday and third Monday of every month at The Acme Grub Cage. New members should brace themselves for much more than staid discussions of obscure films.

First, you won't know until you arrive what two features the good Reverend will bring down from his Sinai-sized mountainous collection of DVDs. He will announce in advance only the night's theme, and with titles like Jan. 9's "Back in the Slammer: A Return to Women's Prison," your imagination can roam. Reverend Colin punctuated our phone conversation with his encyclopedic knowledge of this and other cinematic sub-subgenres.

"He really is one of the most avid movie fans I've ever met," says 26-year-old Holland Hume, TCMC's self-billed "Creative Grunt" since June 2010 and designer of handbills and club posters (FULL DISCLOSURE: Hume has also created cover art for the Volcano in the past). "To him, the Cult Movie Club is his treat...He's always thinking, ‘If I only have this one opportunity to teach people about this director or this genre, what two films would I show?'"         

The Reverend also includes in his lineup themed shorts, vintage TV serials and a nightly raffle, with funds raised returning to the club's operating budget. Though it would please both the Rev. Collin and Hume to see more similar groups spring up in T-Town, for now they can feel good about what they've accomplished, and look forward to TCMC's two-year anniversary in April.

"It's a chance for a bunch of us people who love bad movies to...revel in their awfulness and enjoy each other's company," says the cult's clerical founder.

Amen to that.

You can receive updates by friending "TacomaCult MovieClub" on Facebook.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS OPENS THIS WEEK >>>

Get this: In the new film I Love You Phillip Morris (opening this week, and specifically at the Grand Cinema in Tacoma on Friday), Jim Carrey plays a con-man adept at facial contortions and slapstick falls.

Even more shocking: The film actually looks really good. Despite the inclusion of Carrey - which has been known to ruin a thing or two - I Love You Phillip Morris (also starring Ewan McGregor) has been getting great reviews and looks like a sure bet for, at the very least, quality entertainment - if not award winning performances from the man who brought us Ace Ventura, among others.

Check out a review of I Love You Phillip Morris in tomorrow's print version of the Weekly Volcano.

And feast on the trailer below ...

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5, 2011 >>>

1. Art Chantry is to rock posters what Bobble Tiki is to boxed wine consumption - quite simply, the very best. Having created for labels like Estrus, Rhino, Sub Pop and Chuckie-Boy, and worked with just about everyone there is to work with - from the Center on Contemporary Art to Hempfest and beyond - Chantry‘s imagery is iconic, as are the punk ideals they're based upon. He also punched his time card four different times as art director for the Rocket music rag. At 7 p.m., he'll be at the Tacoma Main Library. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

2. The Olympia Supply Company hosts green minded DIY home improvement workshops every Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. That cracked Y-connector in your sewer line isn't going to fix itself.

3. Big Chunk, Phantom Power, Big Quinn & The Broken Hearts and Woodshed will rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 8 p.m.

4. Sellers' Inspector Clouseau (in his second outing after The Pink Panther) - convinced sexy suspect Elke Sommer is innocent (despite leaving in-his-face murders in her wake) - trails her through Paris and to an even-more-picturesque nudist colony, donning a strategically-placed guitar ... Not now Kato! ... en route in the film A Shot In The Dark (1964), screening at 9 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

5. Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ spins beginning at 10 p.m. during College Night at Masa Comida Mexicana.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

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ANOTHER YEAR >>>

We had some times in 2010, you and I, times indeed. The nerds had their revenge this year for sure: We watched an ever-wimpy Michael Cera inexplicably annihilate his girlfriend's legion of almighty exes (epic!). We witnessed socially inept Jesse Eisenberg (Hollywood's "other" Michael Cera) build a web empire further downgrading face-to-face human interaction (like!). We even went toe-to-claw with predators alongside a chiseled Adrien Brody (mediocre!).

Yes, not every film we streamed, downloaded, bootlegged and, as a last resort, saw in a theater this year spelled "instant classic;" True Grit didn't fully live up to the hype, and I won't start on Jonah Hex. The industry has yet to reclaim the greatness of its golden age, which I have incontrovertibly traced back to 1999, a magical year that brought the world The Matrix, Fight Club, Blair Witch and others.

Oh yeah, I just said "Blair *expletive* Witch." What?

But it appears Tinseltown will stay the safe, predictable course in 2011. The adapted comic craze (or graphic novel, if you will, Lord Fancyknickers) still hasn't gone away, as evidenced by recent trailers for Green Hornet, Green Lantern, and *sigh* Thor. And Nick Cage still has to convince us of his action star credentials with next week's Season of the Witch, not to mention the forthcoming Drive Angry.

But maybe we'll get a few surprises thrown our way. Who knows?

Enjoy a new year of the same old same, cinephiles.

Youtube Pick: This clever mash-up actually makes the films of 2010 look cool and amazing.

LOOK FOR THE LIST IN THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO >>>

Roger Ebert is rarely short on opinions -- which makes sense, since (along with incessantly Tweeting) offering opinions on films and movies is his job.

In this week's Volcano, Ebert will offer his list of the ten best films of 2010.

SPOILER ALERT: Cats & Dogs: The Return of Kitty Galore doesn't make the cut.

But what does, you ask? You'll have to wait until Thursday to find out (unless some other paper that publishes Ebert's syndicated work has already run it ...).

Here's a glimpse from one of the films on the prestigious list.

Feel free to discuss the choice amongst yourselves below ...

TUESDAY, DEC. 28 >>>

1. Tuesday night rock shows are the things memories are made of. It'll be hard to go wrong tonight at The New Frontier Lounge, when local favorites Ten Miles of Bad Road bust out the punk-spliced alt-country. Added bonus: It's Justin's birthday.

2. While we're talking about local favorites, it's worth mentioning that Tim Hall will be at the Summit Pub in Puyallup tonight. If a Tuesday night at the Summit Pub doesn't scream for some top-notch blues - the kind Hall is known to provide - we don't know what does.

3. Be honest. Christmas with your parents didn't go well. There's a reason you hate them. Shake off some of that anger tonight at Jazzbones during Ha Ha Tuesday - as always, hosted by Ralph Porter. Tonight's headliner is James Heneghen, and also features comic Ed Rubin.

4. Watch a rare Tuesday night NFL game- the first since 1946 - when the Eagles take on the Vikings tonight. Hell, even better, do it at Tacoma's Varsity Grill, or Ram Brewery, or Loose Wheel Bar and Grill.

5. In Olympia, check out the regular Tuesday night movie at Northern. That's all the info we have - but Northern is an all-ages venue you can trust.

LOOK FOR THE LIST IN THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO >>>

Roger Ebert is rarely short on opinions -- which makes sense, since (along with incessantly Tweeting) offering opinions on films and movies is his job.

In this week's Volcano, Ebert will offer his list of the ten best films of 2010.

SPOILER ALERT: Unstoppable doesn't make the cut.

But what does, you ask? You'll have to wait until Thursday to find out (unless some other paper that publishes Ebert's syndicated work has already run it ...).

Here's a glimpse from one of the films on the prestigious list.

Feel free to discuss the choice amongst yourselves below ...

SMILE, PARKLAND, YOU'RE ON CAMERA >>>

Inspiration comes largely from observation, from noticing the unique in the mundane. The seed of an idea may come from a book, a building's architecture  or, in actor-turned-director Mick Flaaen's case, two people outside Northern Pacific Coffee Company near Pacific Lutheran University.

And voilà - Flaaen's first short film Welcome to Parkland.

Flaaen got his start in front of the camera over 30 years ago at Lee Strasberg's famed Theatre and Film Institute in L.A., under the tutelage of Elia Kazan's daughter. Now a SAG actor, he lives with his family in Parkland, dabbles in local theater and next year will receive one of the last video production degrees from Clover Park Technical College's dissolving program.

Last year Flaaen attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and after gorging on a weeklong buffet of several hundred shorts, he and Parkland producer Steffen Hauglum resolved to make their own. Flaaen based his dramatic script on conversations his two friends shared during regular visits to the Garfield Street coffeehouse. The friends play versions of themselves in the film, with first-time actress Kim Whalen as a carefree woman suddenly coping with her dad's need for a kidney transplant. Shooting with a snazzy Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the director and his cameraman, Bob Potasky, had good reason to keep things local.

"My whole thing (as a filmmaker) is to remain true to where I'm from," says Flaaen.

WTP is undergoing some finishing touches, and then, according to Flaaen, it'll be off to the festival circuit to give distant audiences another peak into life on our small piece of the map.

Check out the trailer here.

MONDAY, DEC. 27 >>>

1. Get the week started on the right foot when Cold Shot busts out a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan tonight at the Swiss in Tacoma. Soul patch facial hair is optional, but highly encouraged.

2. Did someone say Jager bombs? Monday means one thing at Jazzbones on Sixth Ave - Rockaraoke, the institution that only seems to grow stronger and more belligerent with time. Come drink and sing your problems away, backed by a live band!

3. It's movie night at Le Voyeur! We have no idea what's showing, but chances are it'll be cool and you can grab some great grub while you're at it - not to mention drinks.

4.  Like trivia? Got a team? It's team trivia night at Farrelli's Gourmet Wood Fire Pizza in Lacey - a combination of two of our favorite things. Amazingly, you probably also like to drink and win prizes, meaning this Monday night event is totally for you.

5. Beer pong is huge - even bigger than when you were at WSU, bro. Check out Big Wheel Steakhouse and Lounge tonight for $7 Highlife pitchers, $5 one topping pizzas, and $3 drink specials - not to mention a beer pong throwdown with signups commencing at 9 p.m. and games starting at 10 p.m.

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SANTA DAY, DEC. 25, 2010 >>>

1. Looking for something to do that doesn't involve sitting around Aunt Maureen and Grandpa Fred? The Top of Tacoma Bar and Café has you covered. The venerable Swampy Draws (or Swampy Claus, as the case may be) will be on stage tonight - getting things rolling at about 9 p.m., according to Top of Tacoma's Jamie Kay Jones - who also promises photo ops with the Christmas-themed swampy one. It doesn't get much better. Well, ther'e a punk show at Hell's Kitchen too.

2. Natalie Portman, in the performance of her life, plays Nina Sayers, a ballerina in a top company at New York's Lincoln Center in the grisly fantasia of ultimately transcendent beauty flick, Black Swan. Sayers lives in a perpetual state of nearly losing her shit - not that she'd mind, as long as she attains an artistic perfection she can't yet imagine. The film screens at 12:35, 3:15, 6:05 and 8:30 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema.

3. The Temple Beth Hatfiloh presents a sing-along to the film Fiddler On The Roof at 6:30 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater in Olympia. Dress up like Tevye, Golde and the other characters and try to grab prizes during the costume contest. Bring a clean warm winter coats and blankets for the homeless.

4. The Lyon Pride Music annual Christmas party will invade the all-ages D4 venue in Sumner around 7 p.m. Scheduled to perform are Corson Swift, Ruthless, Blue Helix, Crzae 8's, Hakm and Jay Rush and DJ Reign.

5. Mighty High performs at 10 p.m. tonight inside Doyle's Public House. In case you've been trapped in a smoky den with only Cool Ranch Doritos^TMfor sustenance, here's the long and short of Mighty High: They have a tendency to totally jam out; they lean in a dub-y direction; they have a song called "Medicinal Melodies." Let's meet up in the parking lot for a pre-show hackey-sack sesh (short for session).

LINK: Movies starting times