Friday, April 8

5:30pm
Crossroads Festival
FILMMAKERS OF TOMORROW
Student films from The Art Institute of Tucson,
Pima Community College and the University of Arizona

7:00pm
The Screening Room

JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR (USA, 90m)

7:30pm
Crossroads Festival

GUN HILL ROAD (USA, 100m)

9:00pm
The Screening Room

EDGY SHORTS
GATO ENCERRADO (Spain, 12m)
OPEN 24 HOURS (USA,
BROKEN (Australia, 7m)
MOUTH BABIES (USA,
WORM (United Kingdom, 11m)
THE ABSENCE (USA, 29m)

10:00pm
Crossroads Festival

ABSENTIA (USA, 91m)

Saturday and Sunday's schedule below the cut.

Tonight, the Arizona International Film Festival is at two locations, including a screening of John Wayne's McClintock, filmed at Old Tucson.

6:00pm
The Screening Room

LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK (Mexico/USA, 22m)

Leap Before You Look - Trailer Hi Res from Stephane Goldsand on Vimeo.

WAY OF THE MORRIS (United Kingdom, 64m)

WAY OF THE MORRIS: Official Trailer 1 (HD) from Way Of The Morris on Vimeo.

7:30pm
Crossroads Festival

From The Western Archives
McCLINTOCK (USA, 127m)

8:00pm
The Screening Room

INNER CIRCLE (Australia, 103m)

For more information about these movies or the rest of the Arizona International Film Festival, visit their webpage.

Wednesday, April 6
6:00pm
The Screening Room

SHORT DOCS

A COMIC AUTHOR X-RAY (Spain, 20m)

IRMA (USA, 12m)

LITTLE MOM (USA, 16m)
KING DONG (Canada/United Kingdom, 22m)

8:00pm
The Screening Room

ARIZONA SHORTS

DINER WAITRESS: Portrait of an American Icon (USA, 5m)
REPLACEMENT (USA, 12m)
MAN TRAP (USA, 12m)

AND THE DOGS TRIED TO DANCE TOO (USA, 16m)
STORY TIME FABLES (USA, 15m)
ESMERALDA DE DESIERTO (USA, 23m)

More information at the festival's website.

For more information

Tonight at the Arizona International Film Festival, a doubleheader of short films collected by theme: first up, love, followed by drama.

Monday, April 4

LOVE(?) SHORTS

BIKE RACE (USA, 12m)
THE AMY CHARACTER (USA, 8m)

The Amy Character - Trailer from Andrew Simkiss on Vimeo.

BEDFELLOWS (USA, 15m)

TALK (United Kingdom, 8m)

CURED (Ireland, 12m)
ABOVE THE KNEE (Canada, 14m)

8:00pm
The Screening Room

DRAMATIC SHORTS

FRIDAY NIGHT TIGHTS (USA, 4m)
JAY (USA, 19m)
SHUDDERHOUSE (USA, 15m)

Shudder House - Official Trailer from Shudder House Film on Vimeo.

TESTIGO ILEGAL (USA, 17m)
ULTIMO RECORSO (Peru, 9m)

HOLLOW (United Kingdom, 20m)

Hollow - Short Film - Clip 1 - HOLLOW from Rob Sorrenti on Vimeo.

For more information, check out the Arizona International Film Festival's website.

Happy 50th birthday, Eddie Murphy. I'd personally prefer to remember you as the guy on top of the world, trying out a movie career with the help of Rick James than as the guy who thought making Norbit was a good idea, but so be it.

[HT: Maura Johnston]

More information can be found at the Festival's website.

Tonight
8:00pm
Fox Theatre
JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR (USA, 90m) (with the filmmaker in attendance)

Journey From Zanskar Trailer from Nick Sherman on Vimeo.

Saturday, April 2
3:00pm
The Screening Room
ON COAL RIVER (USA, 81m)

ON COAL RIVER trailer (runtime: 2:36) from On Coal River on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 3
1:00pm
The Screening Room
SPACE, LAND AND TIME:
Underground Adventures with Ant Farm (USA, 78m)

Space, Land and Time: Underground Adventures with Ant Farm from Beth Federici and Laura Harrison on Vimeo.

While my general axiom is to see everything Bill Murray is in, I might need to be convinced a bit before paying money to see this particular film of his:

Our spies tell us that it’s official: Bill Murray has agreed to star as FDR in an adaptation of the British radio play Hyde Park On the Hudson to be directed by Morning Glory's Roger Michell. The project, set up at Focus Features and the UK's Film4, recounts the quasi-incestuous love affair between the president and his distant cousin, Margaret Stuckley, and takes place on the June 1939 weekend that the British King and Queen visited Roosevelt at his upstate New York cottage, in the first-ever visit to America by a member of the United Kingdom monarchy.

[Vulture]

I am a big fan of the Loft Cinema and both the new and revival movies they bring to town (I'm particularly excited about Rubber, coming April 29th), but that doesn't mean that I'm not occasionally envious of the projected offerings at other indie cinemas. In this case, it's the Muppets to the Max series at the Alamo Drafthouse:

We’ve partnered with The Jim Henson Legacy and Brooklyn Academy of Music to present a series of special Muppet-related programming. You’ll see some of the greatest moments of the 50+ year history of the Muppets, rarely seen gems from the Sesame Street vaults, and even some experimental short films from Henson stepping out of the puppetry game.

Music Monday: MUPPET MUSIC MOMENTS
Music was always an integral part of THE MUPPET SHOW, and the Jim Henson Legacy has assembled a collection of some of the classic music numbers interpreted as only the Muppets can. This compilation features a wide range of musical genres, including performances by guest stars Harry Belafonte, Elton John, and Linda Ronstadt.
* Monday, March 28, 2011 @7:00p

COMMERCIALS & EXPERIMENTS
This program is a collection of experimental shorts, crazy commercials, and other rarities from the Henson vault. Highlights include: a legendary commercial and industrial film for Wilson’s Meat that must be seen to believed, excerpts from Henson’s experimental television programs THE CUBE and YOUTH 68: EVERYTHING’S CHANGING…OR MAYBE IT ISN’T, and TIME PIECE an 8-minute experimental masterpiece from 1965 that showcases Henson’s talent for making music out of everyday sounds.
* Tuesday, March 29, 2011 @7:00p
* Wednesday, April 06, 2011 @7:00p

JIM HENSON & FRIENDS: INSIDE THE SESAME STREET VAULT
This super-entertaining program highlights the contributions of Jim Henson and his early SESAME STREET collaborators, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill, and Caroll Spinney. In addition to old favorites, there are some extremely rare clips from specials and guest appearances on other television programs.
* Saturday, April 02, 2011 @3:00p

SING! THE MUSIC OF SESAME STREET
A joyous, sometimes hilarious and poignant salute to forty years of SESAME STREET music, featuring the original show classics, parodies, and special visits from some of the music industry’s biggest names.
* Sunday, April 03, 2011 @7:00p

THE MUPPET MOVIE SING-ALONG
This simply irresistible first feature from the Muppets has Kermit the frog going from the swamps to Hollywood to be a star. As he travels and picks up his usual friends, Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) is in pursuit, looking for Kermit to be the spokesman for his frog-leg cuisine. A loose rendition of THE WIZARD OF OZ, the film incorporates the same cagey humor as their breakout syndicated TV series The Muppet Show.
* Thursday, April 07, 2011 @7:00p
* Thursday, April 14, 2011 @7:00p

SESAME STREET AT 40: MILESTONES ON THE STREET
This “best-of” compilation features dozens of classic moments in the forty-year history of the show, including excerpts from the first episode, celebrity guests, and some of the best bits from Ernie and Bert, Big Bird, Snuffy, and the rest of the gang.
* Saturday, April 09, 2011 @3:00p

MUPPET FAIRYTALES: THE FROG PRINCE & THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER
A program of two classic Muppet fairy tales! In THE FROG PRINCE (Henson, 1971), the Muppets explore the age-old question: What happens when you kiss a frog? No one can better tell that classic fairytale than Kermit and his friends. In THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER (Grossman, 1994), a wacky dilemma pops up: What if the elves that come to the aid of the shoemaker are actually Elvises?
* Sunday, April 10, 2011 @3:00p

Zzang!!!: THE DARK CRYSTAL
In an unnamed land, a pair of young, elf-like Gelflings must battle the evil Skeksis to bring their world back to the power it once held. Though this may sound like fantasy silliness, the sheer power and ingenuity of THE DARK CRYSTAL is unmatched. It’s a pure-hearted, imagination-powered journey into unexplored ideas, with the most memorable characters this side of another dimension. From the graceful Land-Striders to the looming crab-like Garthim to that wily, one-eyed heroic priestess Aulghra, the colorful creatures create an entirely unique experience at the movies.
* Sunday, April 27, 2011 @7:00p

The Dark Crystal is already coming to the Loft, so getting the rest of these programs can't be too much of a stretch, right? What do you say, keepers of the Loft?

It seems a little strange to take what's supposed to be the best movie of 2010 and change it, but I'm not one of the magical movie making Weinstein brothers, so what do I know?

The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that THE KING’S SPEECH PG-13, the family-friendly version of its Academy Award-winning historical drama about King George VI, will open on 1,000 screens nationwide on April 1, and will be the only version available in theatres. One of the year's most celebrated, successful and beloved films, THE KING'S SPEECH was honored at the 83rd Academy Awards® with Oscars® for Best Picture, to producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin; Best Director, to helmer Tom Hooper; Best Actor, to star Colin Firth; and Best Original Screenplay, to screenwriter David Seidler. The announcement was made by TWC's President of Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment Eric Lomis.

Said Lomis, "We are thankful to the MPAA for their wisdom and swift action in approving the release of THE KING'S SPEECH PG-13 release. The action enables those to whom it speaks most directly - young people who are troubled by stuttering, bullying and similar trials — to see it."

The emotional impact of stuttering that was illuminated by THE KING'S SPEECH continues to be a topic of conversation with the recent statements by Vice President Joseph Biden about his own struggles with stammering. The release of THE KING'S SPEECH PG-13 offers families nationwide access to a positive story about stuttering and overcoming obstacles and social stigmas.

Maxim Dalton makes great posters and for the Quentin vs. Coen Show in New York City he created a series of (unfortunately) imaginary action figures for Tarantino's 1994 classic Pulp Fiction: