
We hope everyoneâs eating well. If you need a break from family gatherings this week, why not dip into a movie? Strange World is the big Disney movie opening Thanksgiving week, but Seattleâs also got The Fabelmans and a special Thanksgiving Day screening of the recently vintage The Royal Tenenbaums. After the feast, weâre entering the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Try stepping away from the big-biz stores and stopping by GeekCraft Expoâs holiday market. Oh, and sports! Heard of the World Cup? Thatâs happening, too.

đ¸: The Royal Tenenbaums
1
The Royal Tenenbaums @ The Beacon Cinema
Thursday, November 24 ⢠7 pm
Right around this time of year, I get an itch to watch Wes Anderson. Specifically, Fantastic Mr. Fox (so maybe itâs a hankering for George Clooney and Meryl Streep). Some might argue that this Anderson classic, based on Roald Dahlâs novel of the same name, is the quintessential fall/Thanksgiving movie. Itâs not only deliciously autumnal, with vibrant characters, rust, pumpkin, and butter-yellow-tinged landscapes and environments, but it takes place around the heckinâ holiday (although itâs never explicitly said).
But. But, but, but, Iâd counter, The Royal Tenenbaums, which was released eight years earlier in 2001, gives the film a run for its money for that title. Both movies feature complicated, kinda sucky father figures, although Royal, the patriarch of the Tenenbaum family, has much more to redeem himself of than Mr. Fox. How he goes about doing exactly that, making amends (or at least attempting to) with his wife and children, and the messy family dynamic in The Royal Tenenbaums is why itâs the perfect Thanksgiving watch. While trademark Andersonesque melancholy, dark humor, and absurdity intertwine throughout the film, it still leaves you satisfied. And if you needed any more convincing, itâs got scarlet-jumpsuit-clad Ben Stiller, a sad, secretive playwright played by Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson as a retired, down-and-out tennis player. Also, Danny GloverâI repeatâDanny Glover.
So, if you are having a quiet Thanksgiving this year but still feel like being around people, or youâre craving some family catharsis, consider heading to The Beacon for a warm, emotional evening. TIERA NHEM

đ¸: GeekCraft Expo
2
GeekCraft Expo Holiday Market @ Magnuson Park Hangar 30
All weekend!
Weâre heading into one of the yearâs biggest shopping weekends (the Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday retailer extravaganza), so Iâm sure your social feeds are drowning in ads. A tip: block those big-biz ads and refocus your eyes on this, a locally focused geek-themed holiday market run by nerds at Magnuson Park Hangar 30.
Geeky couple Daniel Way and Kimberly Matsuzaki hosted the first GeekCraft Expo in 2016, focused on showcasing nerdy makers and their quality waresâlike knitted Totoro hats, sparkly board game dice, kraken carved out of redwood, etc etc etc. Itâs grown into a national event, with upcoming expos in Minneapolis, Portland, and St. Louis.
For geeky gift-hunters in Seattle, GeekCraftâs holiday market kicks off Friday, November 25, with an early bird event limited to 500 attendees. The main days happen on Saturday and Sunday, with a cheap entry fee of $2-$5, depending on when you buy. Go and get your baby a hand-knit Yoda. CHASE BURNS

đ¸: US Soccer
3
US vs. England @ The George & Dragon Pub
Friday, November 25 ⢠11 am
The George and Dragon in Fremont is going all out for the World Cup. With the games being in Qatarâugh, time zonesâthe George is opening at 4:30 am from November 21 to the 28. If youâre trying to experience some real soccer culture while rooting for the US Menâs National Team (USMNT), abandon your Black Friday plans and grab a spot at The George before the sun even rises. Smack talk with some Brits. Recycle stale Revolutionary War jokes. Eat fish nâ chips for breakfast. Nothing says itâs World Cup time like pretending youâre in Europe.
This World Cup, the USMNT is on its Reputation Tour. They sucked so badly last World Cup theyâembarrassinglyâ didnât even qualify. The tournament begins in the group stage where the US will play against Wales, England, and Iran. To advance to the knock-out round, the USMNT needs to finish top two in the group. Theyâll have an easier first match-up in the next round if they finish first.
According to FIFA rankings, the US ranks just above Wales and Iran. Logically, these should be winnable games, but if thereâs one thing I know itâs the USMNTâs capacity to crap the bed and not deliver. Negativity aside, the game against England should be tough and exciting! If the USMNT squeaks out a draw, thatâll be great news and bode well for a USMNT appearance in the next stage, the Round of 16. NATHALIE GRAHAM

đ¸: Bellevue Botanical Garden
4
Garden dâLights 2022 @ Bellevue Botanical Garden
Opens Saturday, November 26
Garden dâLights want to remind you that you are always a kid at heart. The Bellevue Botanical Gardens transform into a land of light and magic during the holiday times, and itâs a labor of love. It takes over 6,400 hours and 11 months to bring to life. There ainât nothing cookie-cutter about it. Sure, there are reindeer, Santa, snowmen, and flakes of snow at those other places. Been there, done that. At the Garden, get ready for a biologically correct sea animal display, a field of corn, a winery, and moreâall made from lights. Folks, thatâs special.
Mark your advent calendars for November 26. Every day from then until December 31 (except Christmas Day), the place offers the chance to illuminate your little life and keep warm with hot cocoa sold onsite. Bring your best friends and film a TikTok. Spend time with your grandpa and ask him about his favorite Christmas memory. For the couples out there, stroll hand in hand and kiss near the brand-new snail feature (so romantic!). For $8 a ticket (free for kids 10 and under), it seems a pretty good deal. Buy tickets ahead of time here and arrive a little early to avoid crowds. Keep the jolly times going with Snowflake Lane, just a 10-minute drive away. HAYLEE JARRETT

đ¸: 5th Ave | Mark Kitaoka
5
The Wiz @ 5th Avenue Theatre
Runs all weekend!
Everybody look around, âcause thereâs a reason to rejoice, you see. Itâs The Wiz, the 5th Avenue Theatreâs latest family-geared holiday spectacular. A soul, R&B, and gospel retelling of The Wizard of Oz with an all-Black cast, The Wizâs original Broadway production won seven of its eight 1975 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. Three years later, it became a Sidney Lumet film starring Diana Ross (they aged Dorothy up for the movie to be Harlem schoolteacher), Nipsey Russell, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, and Lena Horne.
I spoke with associate artistic director Jay Woods, who also directed last seasonâs sensational Beauty and the Beast, to get more info on this brand-new production. âThis is the first time The 5th is creating an original staging of The Wiz by an almost entirely local cast that is wildly talented,â Woods said. âItâs great for the whole family and is something to share in community during the holidays.â
The production boasts direction and choreography by Twin Cities-based theatremaker Kelli Foster Warder, who choreographed previous 5th Ave shows Annie (2018) and the stripped-down revival of Flaherty and Ahrensâ Ragtime (2017), one of the most emotionally stirring things Iâve seen on that stage. âWarder and her team have dreamed up such a specific and joyous world for this very special production,â Woods concluded. âI hope audiences will be wrapped up in that love and joy. It is certainly a blessing to have this show here in Seattle.â MARCUS GORMAN

đ¸: Disney
6
Strange World @ Ark Lodge Cinema and More Theaters
All weekend at Ark Lodge Cinema and other theaters
Despite the captivating trailers for this movie, I worry Strange World may pass audiences by when it opens Thanksgiving week. Itâs not that Disney needs to catch a breakâThey own Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and even consumed 87-year-old studio 20th Century Fox in 2019 for $71.3 billion, and god forbid you get cornered by a âDisney Adultâ at a party (me, Iâm like 60% Disney Adult), so whatâs an underperformer here and there?
Thatâs a shame, because Disneyâs non-franchise animated movies are where the exciting work lives. At the very least, they stick around in my head. An outer space version of Treasure Island with David Hyde Pierce as a dog astronomer and Emma Thompson as a cat captain, plus songs by John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls? A police procedural about how we demonize the unknown for shady government reasons, all taking place in an anthropomorphized animal world with Shakira jokes? (I may just like anthropomorphization, come to think of it.)
Strange World, which reunites director Don Hall and Qui Nguyen after 2021âs vibrant Southeast Asian adventure film Raya and the Last Dragon, is about the Clades family of explorers as they discover, well, strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no family has gone before. Vocal performances come from Jake Gyllenhaal, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, and writer/comedian Jaboukie Young-White (Rap Sh!t). MARCUS GORMAN