If you haven't already, you should head over to explodedviewgallery.org and check out their full fall schedule, since they have fascinating stuff showing at 197 E. Toole Ave. a couple times a week from screenings of Italian horror flicks to silent films scored by local musicians. Full credit goes to David Sherman, Rebecca Barten and Carl Hanni for what they're putting together over there. This week, it's the more experimental end of the cinema world, first with Richard Tuohy on Thursday, Oct. 9 and then Gary Setzer and Tommy Becker on Sunday, Oct. 12. Tuohy has recently shown his work at the New York Film Festival and won first prize at the 2009 Abstracta festival in Rome for his "handmade" films, resisting the drive to go digital, ruminating on simple themes of nature and other "objects of [his] fascination."
Gary Setzer's an associate professor of art at the UA and works in a hybrid genre combining music, performance and video that would seemingly appeal to fans of Devo (I'm not sure if Setzer would appreciate the comparison, but that's what came to my mind while I was watching excerpts from his work, "The Black Tongue Lexicon"). Tommy Becker, from the Bay Area, will according to Exploded View, "explore and celebrate the dynamics of the high school landscape and complexities of relationships." Also, there's something involving the "vitality of lemons," which is absolutely not something I've ever thought about until just now. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. and are $5 at the door.
The intersection of music and film will be celebrated all over town this week, between the 10th Annual Tucson Film and Music Festival, which kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 9, and then some other movies that happen to be music-themed. First, in the non-festival selections, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" shows at the Loft on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 p.m. as part of their Late Night Cult Classics series. Michael Cera stars in the 2010 comic book adaptation which includes music by Beck, Broken Social Scene and others. Tickets are $6. On Friday, Oct. 10, "20,000 Days on Earth," a docudrama of sorts about Australian musician/weirdo Nick Cave opens. Winner of a few awards at Sundance, the film was described by the Dallas Observer as "partially a work of fiction, partially a metaphor for Cave's failing memory, partially a monument to Cave's enormous ego, and partially just a series of beguiling truths and untruths." Regular admission prices apply.
Also in the music/film intersection, check out the 1st annual Fall Film and Music Gala at Maker House on Thursday, Oct. 9, which includes an independent touring short-film fest called Gadabout which is touring America then Europe, as well as a screening of local music videos by Head Over Heart, Best Dog Award and others. Plus, you get a musical performance by Sacred Destinies (which includes Charlyne Yi, who you might remember from the series "House" or the films "Knocked Up" and "Paper Heart") and a bunch of other acts. Admission is $8. More info at facebook.com/events/547591872030226.
Then, there's the Film and Music Festival, which runs for four days between Cinema La Placita, the Loft, the Screening Room and the Rialto. Read the blurb in this issue's City Week and head to the fest's website for more details (tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com), but the highlight for me will be the Arizona premiere on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Rialto of "Heaven Adores You," a look at the music of the late songwriter Elliott Smith through the lens of the cities he lived in—Portland, New York City and Los Angeles. The film's interesting enough on its own, but it gets better as the Rialto is following the screening with a tribute concert featuring performances by recent Tucson Weekly cover star Brian Lopez, Leila Lopez, Andrew Collberg, Sun Bones and others. Tickets are just $10 for the 6:30 p.m. all ages show. More info at rialtotheatre.com.
This may not be interesting to everyone, but if you are interested, you're likely going to be super excited for El Alambrista: La Venganza showing at the Loft on Saturday, Oct. 11. You might have seen El Alambrista, "The People's Luchador" in his previous film "The Fence Jumper" (I'm not kidding), but now the masked avenger is taking on a group of vigilantes terrorizing migrant workers, when he uncovers something even more sinister. Of course, the leader of that group is played by WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who will be at the screening along with the film's director, Alfonso Sahagun Casaus. Tickets are $7 for the 7 p.m. show. More info at loftcinema.com.
