Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Spring 2021

Movies

Butch Cougar in front of screens
Spring 2021

What to watch: Movies and TV shows with WSU alumni and staff

Stories connect and comfort us. They let us into the hearts and minds of others, and entertain, enchant, and teach us. They give us new and different ways to see the world—and maybe even cope with it.

Stories­ have the potential to pull us out of ourselves and into other—even imaginary—realms. They transport us. They offer us hope and understanding, distraction and escape. They make us laugh. They make us cry. They make us wonder.

That’s the power of storytelling, not only during a pandemic or crisis but anytime. These days, though, while we are spending more time at home to help fight the spread … » More …

Spring 2021

WSM staff picks for the pandemic

WSM staff picks

Here’s what the staff of Washington State Magazine has been reading, watching, and listening to since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

Larry Clark (’94 Comm.)
Editor

Books

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish (Gallery Books, 2017) – Haddish’s comedy shines through some rough times in this memoir. I was laughing out loud during several parts.

The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner (Harper, 1972) – A classic of science fiction and environmental destruction

Ivory Apples by Lisa Goldstein (Tachyon Publications, 2019) – I enjoy a good novel about fiction becoming reality, and obsession. Goldstein’s words are gripping and, at … » More …

Scene for Rogue Warfare: The Hunt with soldier helping his wounded comrade
Spring 2021

Q&A with Andrew DeCesare

Get to know more about Andrew DeCesare, his work on the Rogue Warfare trilogy, and breaking into the movie business.

How did the trilogy come about?

We started talking about the concept in 2016. Originally, it was five films. We chose a terror threat and tried to play with the story and make people think about current events. The concept of a global special forces team upped its sales value. Really, this movie had seven leads instead of one or two like typical films. Our goal was to prove to ourselves that we know what we’re doing, we know what we’re talking … » More …

Space Shuttle Challenger in space
Spring 2019

WSU Fight Song in space and time

Since the Washington State University Fight Song was composed and adopted in 1919, it has taken flight on a space shuttle, adapted in several musical styles, sung by John Candy in a movie, and taken on great meaning for the Cougar Nation.

Listen to the first known recording of the Fight Song (from 1934), the Fight Song broadcast to the Space Shuttle Challenger to honor astronaut and WSU alum John Fabian ’62, and watch “Tom Tuttle from Tacoma” belt out “Fight, fight, fight for Washington State” in the 1985 movie Volunteers.

Read the history of the fight song in “Fight, fight, fight…” still flying … » More …

Pete's Dragon
Fall 2018

Architect of other worlds

A green furry dragon named Elliot living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. A twisted and pathetic creature yearning for a ring in Middle Earth. A monstrous ape, an alien jungle, a future dystopian city.

If any of these cinematic creations will capture the imaginations of moviegoers, they need the magic of visual effects created by wizards like Eric Saindon ’96. Saindon’s own imagination was stirred by animated films as a kid, which led to over two decades designing effects and leading teams of visual effects artists on some of the largest blockbusters on screen.

Much of Saindon’s career has been with » More …

Book - Briefly Noted
Fall 2016

Briefly noted

 

Conversations: Jury Selection

David L. Crump ’81

A glimpse into the minds of prospective jurors through 50 conversations, this book written for trial lawyers teaches about juror biases and prejudices, and how to connect with potential jurors. Crump is a 1981 political science graduate and successful Pacific Northwest trial lawyer.

 

The Labyrinth House

Mark Rollins ’94

Luthando Coeur: 2014

Rollins’s fantasy novel follows architect Bradley Jensen through a door in a tree and into a mysterious mansion, which he and the other denizens can’t leave.

 

Angel’s Bounty

Directed by Lee Fleming ’07

2015

A dark, gritty comedy shot on the Palouse and … » More …