The Loft Film Fest launches tomorrow with Lars von Trier's Meloncholia. The week's line-up of outstanding cinema is wide-ranging and fab—check it out here—and the party starts at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Be there!

I don't know if The Last Waltz is really the best concert film of all time (Stop Making Sense, maybe?), but it's definitely close, although it has the benefit of direction by Martin Scorsese, which generally helps. If you're a fan of Americana at all, however, The Last Waltz is a must watch, not just for featuring a ton of songs by The Band, who were performing live for the last time (sort of), but because the group performed as the backing band for Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, and for some reason, Neil Diamond. It's just a great movie for people who love music, and I have to imagine that it'll look great on the Fox's big screen. Even though you should probably be mildly insulted by the ticket prices for movies at the Fox, this should totally be worth it.

The movie's trailer:

So, this happened last night. At least, the cross marketing provided an opportunity for Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew to participate in an energy-drink-related bit with Sheamus. It's like a dream come true for me.

Part 2:

[Vulture]

This is actually happening, but thankfully, the producers of the new Three Stooges movie have given us five months to prepare for this (likely) cinematic tragedy:

The comedy is not a biopic but instead is shot in three segments in the style of their film shorts from the '30s and '40s and places the trio in contemporary times as they struggle to save the orphanage where they were raised. The Farrellys, known for R-rated ribaldry, have vowed to keep the humor at a PG level. But with Larry David as a vindictive nun, an appearance by the kids of The Jersey Shore and even that hunky Old Spice guy in the cast, the slapstick should still run amok.

And now, a poll:

TUSD Mexican-American studies supporters plan to be at the Loft tonight to greet Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

Huppenthal is in town for a screening of a documentary that, according to the supporters' Facebook event page, "exemplifies the curriculum at a school in Phoenix." Huppenthal will be on a panel, and there will be a TQ&A.

Be there at 5:30 p.m. The TQ&A starts at 7:30 p.m.

In a story published last night on AlterNet, Tucson son and writer Jeff Biggers wrote about the screening tonight, but he also asks where's the outrage—and where is that apology that Huppenthal still owes us for comparing Mexican American Studies to a Hitler military program:

How much farther do extremist Arizona politicians and their Tea Party supporters have to go in their witch hunt of the Ethnic Studies Program before someone will demand that the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice be summoned for an investigation?

Or at least hold Huppenthal accountable for his offensive remarks against Mexican Americans—which would never be tolerated for any other ethnic community in the state.

In an inexcusable affront to Mexican American veterans and their families at a Republican meeting last month, Huppenthal compared the Mexican American Studies program to paramilitary Hitler Jugend training, despite the fact his own commissioned audit of the acclaimed program conclusively determined that the Mexican American Program did not violate the state’s bizarre Ethnic Studies ban, and: “No observable evidence exists that instruction within Mexican American Studies Department promotes resentment toward a race or class of people. The auditors observed the opposite, as students are taught to be accepting of multiple ethnicities of people.”

“Huppenthal owes not only the Mexican American Studies (MAS) students, their parents, their teachers, and all of us who support MAS an apology for his abject “Hitler Youth” libel,” said long-time Tucson educator Salomon Baldenegro, Sr., “he needs to get himself a dictionary and go to the letter “H” and look up “hypocrite”; Huppenthal is in bed with state senate president Russell Pearce, and as is well known, there is video footage of Pearce embracing J.T. Ready, a known Neo-Nazi (who marches under the Nazi Swastika flag!) and white supremacists on the grounds of the State Capitol! If Huppenthal wants to go after REAL Nazi fellow travelers, why the hell is he not out campaigning to Recall Russell Pearce instead of libeling school kids?”

Huppenthal, in fact, joined a who’s-who’s lineup of Tea Party extremists and right-wing hardliners last weekend at a disastrous rally for Russell Pearce’s lagging recall effort, and praised the state senate president’s draconian cuts in education.

After one of the biggest PR blunders since New Coke, Netflix won't be splitting their brand in two, after all:

Abandoning a break-up plan it announced last month, Netflix said Monday morning that it had decided to keep its DVD-by-mail and online streaming services together under one name and one Web site.

The company admitted that it had moved too fast when it tried to spin-off the old-fashioned DVD service into a new company called Qwikster.

“We underestimated the appeal of the single Web site and a single service,” Steve Swasey, a Netflix spokesman, said in a telephone interview. He quickly added: “We greatly underestimated it.”

Mr. Swasey said that the Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings declined an interview request. But in a statement, Mr. Hastings said, “Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that. There is a difference between moving quickly — which Netflix has done very well for years — and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.”

Mr. Swasey declined to comment on any involvement by the Netflix board in the decision to keep the two services together. Initial reaction to the Netflix announcement was largely positive, and the company’s stock rose about 6 percent in early trading.

There's still a question of whether the whole model of mailing people DVDs is sustainable in the long term (I probably think it isn't), but the combination of some sort of physical product combined with whatever's available streaming seems to make the most sense, so splitting the two products was bound to fail. However, until the streaming version has the actual movies you're looking for, instead of a selection of films that might do instead since you're desperate and trying to entertain two children who won't sit still for five minutes unless they're constantly entertained (just as an example), splitting up the operation clearly isn't going to fly.

[Wildly unsafe for watching at work, by the way, unless you work here, then I think it's ok.]

Basically, someone just went to the Gathering of the Juggalos and interviewed Insane Clown Posse fans. In the end, it turns out that they're just people who aim to accept other people, but also value "not giving a fuck". A philosophy perfect for our post-modern age, I suppose.

ICP hit the Rialto Theatre, Faygo in hand, on October 8th.

[Reddit]

I know that it seems like we're recommending another movie showing at the Loft every few days, and I get it, there are movies at the megaplexes with 3D and sharks and Ryan Gosling, etc. etc. There's only so much time for the arty stuff, with the foreign languages and the thinking. Listen, I paid actual money to see The A-Team in the theater. It was a matinee, but still. I hear the voice of the people with this stuff.

However, regardless of your general inclination about documentaries and such, you should really plan to see Shut Up Little Man in two weeks.

Here's how the Loft's website describes the film:

The most important audio recording released in the nineties wasn’t a collection of songs by a self-tortured alternative star. The most important recording released in the grunge era was entitled SHUT UP LITTLE MAN! It was a covert audio recording of two older drunken men living in a small flat in San Francisco, who spent their available free time yelling, screaming, hitting and generally abusing each other.

The phenomenon began in 1987 when Eddie and Mitch (two young punks from the Midwest), moved next door to Peter Haskett (a flamboyant gay man), and Raymond Huffman (a raging homophobe). This ultimate odd couple hated each other with raging abandon, and through the paper-thin walls their alcohol-fueled rants terrorized Eddie and Mitch. Fearing for their lives they began to tape record evidence of the insane goings on from next door.

I've spent an absurd amount of time listening to these recordings, so I'm a shoo-in for this subject, but really, this movie looks like a great time. Who doesn't enjoy wildly profane arguments and the stories behind them?

Coolest thing ever alert!

The Loft has been chosen as one of nine cities to play host to a filmmaker from Park City to discuss their "direct-from-Festival" films with audiences. Proof

But if you still need help deciding between staying here and going to Utah, let me lay out your options.

I know—it's clear that the Paris Hilton look is a winner, but really, listen to your inner-Tucsonan and stay here and golf, because that's what ... all Tucsonans ... do.

Intern learning moment: Googling tucson+sweaty for pictures to illustrate a point can just as easily be found by using DEAR GOD, ANY OTHER SEARCH TERM.

Jimmy Boegle would be ashamed of my browsing history.

Generally, free screenings of films can be a "you get what you pay for" situation, but the Now Showing at Your Library series seems to always bring in interesting films that might not be seen otherwise, including this month's selection:

September marks the return of the new season of Now Showing at your Library free film series. The September film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, is directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Gini Reticker. The film chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, Pray the Devil Back to Hell honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.

“Inspiring, uplifting…a call to arms for all of us…” —Desmond Tutu, Winner, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize

Here are the remaining locations, dates and times:

Miller Golf-Links Library; Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m.

Himmel Park Library; Monday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m.

Joyner Green Valley Library; Friday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m.