Cinema Showdown

There are approximately one hundred films showing over the course of this forthcoming week at the Loft (two nights of "The Wrath of Khan," a week of "The Zero Theorem" and "To Be Takei," two more Tarantino flicks, etc.), but the highlight of this week in Tucson film for me is the David Bowie documentary "David Bowie is" showing on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. A documentary accompanying an art exhibition created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and currently travelling the world, the film looks at Bowie's magnificent career, explored through bits of the exhibition, including photographs, music videos, costumes and interviews with his collaborators and admirers. I guess your interest in this film would likely depend on your interest in Bowie himself, but if you care at all about rock 'n' roll, I'm not sure why you wouldn't be fascinated. Tickets are a little more than the regular Loft film, $12 for general admission, two bucks off for members, but as often happens with music-related film, Zia will be there giving stuff away.

Another exceptionally cool seeming documentary follows the next night, Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the Loft, "Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation," also one showing only at 7 p.m. You may or may not recognize the name "Sagrada," but if you've been to or have seen photos of Barcelona, you'd recognize the sight of the Sagrada Família Basilica, a still unfinished church (started in 1882, scheduled to be completed in 2026) unlike any other building in the world, really. The documentary looks at the designs and unique vision of architect Antoni Gaudí, who passed away in 1926, and the spiritual and artistic importance of the building itself. Plus, as a bonus, a local architect and a professor at the UA School of Architecture will conduct a discussion of Gaudí's work after the film. Regular admission prices apply. More info at loftcinema.com.

The Screening Room re-opened last weekend after their renovations and fancy new snack options and they've got a full schedule this week, between the Arizona Underground Film Festival offerings (a bit more on that in City Week, but also go to azundergroundfilmfest.com ... my pick based on the trailers and descriptions, is Sunday's "The Republic of Rick," about a man's quest to be the President of the Republic of Texas, although I wouldn't fault you for seeing the same day's "Call Girl of Cthulhu" for the title alone) and showing some film festival-style films of their own. This week, they'll have "Snowpiercer," Mark Duplass in "Mars," a look at gun culture titled (appropriately) "Loves Her Gun," an Irish drama called "Snap," and the thriller "Stress Position." More info at screeningroomtucson.com.

I had no idea that the Oracle View theater screened Indian films, perhaps this is a new thing, but I'm super-psyched to check out "Aagadu," a Telugu language film starring Mahesh Babu, Tamannaah and Sonu Sood. One showing only, Monday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. for a film which as best as I can figure from the trailer involves a tough cop, lots of people dying, a love interest, car chases and some awesome dancing. What more could you ask for? More info at azindia.com.