Initiative king Tim Eyman is subject of new film

Perennial initiative backer Tim Eyman and his tussles with the news media are the fodder for a new movie, "The Battles of Tim Eyman," by Paul Fraser, of Seattle.

Fraser, 39, admits to being an admirer of Eyman's but says he tried to stay neutral in making the 110-minute movie, on which he's been working for 4 ½ years and has spent $30,000.

The movie's trailer, set to a dramatic musical score, bills Eyman as "Washington's own Schwarzenegger" and "one of the most controversial political figures of our time."

Fraser, a former credit manager who has made commercials and short films, said the movie is not an Eyman fundraiser or part of the campaign for Eyman's latest measure, Initiative 985, which would open car-pool lanes to all traffic during off-peak hours and make other changes in state transportation policy.

But Eyman will attend the film's theater debut at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Anacortes Cinemas and hold a "town-hall meeting" afterward to discuss his political efforts. The movie is available at Amazon.com, Netflix and at its own Web site, www.timeyman.info.