Truly a great day in Tucson cinema history as Hobo With a Shotgun opens at the Loft. Only two showings today at 5 and 10 pm, but you'll want to catch the early show so you can catch Wet Hot American Summer at 10. Thank me later for planning your evening for you.

The Sundance Institute's Film Forward series wraps up tonight with two free movies: Amreeka at the Loft Cinema and La Mission at downtown's Cinema La Placita. Details, including showtimes, here.

While I generally find the idea of paying $22 for a t-shirt somewhat offensive, any item that re-imagines famous film roles as if Bill Murray had been cast in them is exactly the sort of commerce I like to support.

Film Forward, the Sundance Institute's mutli-culti traveling film festival, continues tonight with Boy at the Loft Cinema and Son of Babylon at the downtown library. Both screenings are free.

This is a real treat for Tucson film lovers. More details, including the complete schedule, here.

In last week's print edition, I talked with the Loft Cinema's Peggy Johnson about Film Forward, the Sundance Institute's film series that's running in Tucson this week. You can find a complete schedule here; there's some really cool stuff showing for free around town this week.

One of those movies is Winter's Bone, a terrific thriller that shows at 7 p.m. tonight at The Loft Cinema.

Here's Peggy's explanation of the series:

Film Forward is a program that the Sundance Institute has put together in conjunction with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The concept is to connect contemporary filmmakers and international films with global audiences, and to create a multicultural, cross-cultural dialogue. It's a pretty lofty mission, which is why, I guess, they picked the Loft. We're really excited about it, because the quality of these films is so great. There are only seven cities in the United States hosting this moving film festival, so we're really honored to be part of it.

There's a lot to like about the Alamo Drafthouse mini-chain of indie theaters in Texas (although the Loft does have a lot of the same traits and features as the Drafthouses, even if they don't seem to listen to my advice), including this promo which features their no texting policy. A note to obsessive texters: if you can't spend an hour and a half without sending and receiving messages, maybe you shouldn't go to the movies.

[HT: Will Leitch]

• Photo by Flickr user "Pheaber"

NPR's Planet Money ran a feature on how a movie theater and a indie rock club are bringing back life to Omaha, Nebraska. Of course, we have the hottest entertainment spot in the country, so we're fine.

The movie theater, Film Streams, is a marvel. It's brand new, gorgeous and only plays sophisticated independent films. Next door is the Slowdown, which Esquire called the best indie-rock club in the country.

The Slowdown — like Film Streams and almost everything in Omaha that's very cool — is very new.

While I was there, I met several architects and web designers who all said they moved back to Omaha, at least in part, because of this club and the movie theater next door.

They're part of a remarkable wave in Omaha: Professionals are moving back.

It all started with some young guys and some surprisingly good music.

It's not every day that you can get disgraced former pastor/conservative religious icon Ted Haggard to make a cameo in your movie, but it's also not too often that the often terrible world of Christian cinema turns out a movie inspired by Superbad:

When you hear the word “Christian,” the last words you expect to hear next are “sex comedy.”

But with “The Waiting Game,” a pro-abstinence movie (featuring a cameo by former New Life Church pastor Ted Haggard) being developed in Colorado Springs, two local men are determined to boldly go where no filmmaker has gone before.

“I love all the Judd Apatow movies — ‘40 Year Old Virgin,’ ‘Knocked Up,’ ‘Superbad’ — they’re all great,” says Rich Praytor, one of the producers and writers on the film. “So we wanted to take something like that into the Christian arena.”

The Waiting Game is still in the fundraising stage, but the filmmakers hope to start full-scale production in September.

• Michelle Hotchkiss
• Calexico performing at The Loft cinema

The big bonus: A performance by Calexico, who provided the soundtrack for the film. (Director Aaron Schock told the audience he couldn't imagine the film without Calexico's contribution.) It was a delightfully raw set that included favorites like "Across the Wire" and "Crystal Frontier," along with a soulful cover of Bob Dylan's "Goin' to Acapulco," which seemed appropriate to the evening, and the haunting lullaby "All the Pretty Little Horses," which is probably getting some play in Joey Burns' household, seeing as he's the new father of two twin girls. Congrats, Joey!

Circo is playing all next week at The Loft, so if you've got time for a movie, make it this one.

Tonight, The Loft's Calexico-themed double-feature continues with the premiere of Flor de Muertos, director Dan Vinik's documentary that looks at Tucson's All-Soul's Procession, the ever-climbing number of people dying in the desert as they attempt to cross into the United States, and the general attitude toward death in the Mexican culture. It's all set against Calexico's spectacular 2009 Dia de los Muertos concert at the Rialto Theatre. Word is: Members of Calexico will be back tonight to talk about the film with Vinik and others, but they won't be performing.

If you want to go, you'd better call ahead to make sure there are still tickets left. Last night's show was a sell-out. Details here.

This week's cover story is film critic James DiGiovanna's Summer Movie Preview, a look at what will be hitting screens this season, the good, the bad, and the latest Transformers film. However, James is nice enough to go beyond previewing what movies actually exist and extends into what movies won't be coming out this summer. Here's his list of what you won't be seeing this year:

• Milk II: Harvey's Revenge

• An Inconvenient True Grit

• Water for Heffalumps

• Fasixt and Furiousix Six: Part Six