Film

Big Cats, High Fashion and a master Illusionist at the Loft

An Honest Liar

A legendary Illusionist, scores of lions and tigers and an inside look at high fashion are all on tap at the Loft Cinema this month. This long lost gem, Cesar award winner and compelling documentary are just a few of the films that can be found at Tucson’s home of art house cinema – The Loft.

Roar, a semi-lost film from 1981 was the brainchild of director Noel Marshall and star Tipi Hedren (The Birds), who wanted to make a film about a wildlife researcher living with big cats. The resulting film is unlike anything you’ve ever seen and when the cats draw blood, it’s real. It’s like a Mutual of Omaha show gone horribly wrong as the researcher’s family comes to visit and attempts to live in the same house with the cats. The film also stars Harden’s on and off-screen daughter Melanie Griffith, and it must be seen to be believed. A film like this can never be made again – at least not without a fatality.

When actress Kristen Stewart won a Cesar award, the French Oscars, this year for best supporting actress in The Clouds of Sils Maria, it was the first time an American actress had won a Cesar. Now it’s your chance to see her standout performance alongside Juliette Binoche and Chloe Grace Moretz. The film follows an actress (Binoche) on her journey to perform in a stage play that she is reluctant to take on. Her assistant (Stewart) and co-star (Grace Moretz) are both points of reflection and contention throughout the film, which is a refreshing, female-centric European tale for adults. That is, there is a lot to think about and talk about after the film, and Stewart’s performance shows that she is so much more than a teenage vampire.

A pair of fine documentaries round up our Loft Theatre spotlight this month, that are already on my list of favorites this year. Dior and I follows new artistic director Raf Simons as he joins the legendary Parisian fashion house with just eight weeks to create his first haute couture line. This intimate look at the inner workings of Dior is quite fascinating and frankly, invigorating, especially the grand fashion show finale, which is jaw dropping. Our other documentary is entitled An Honest Liar, the story of “The Amazing Randi” – a former stage magician and psychic debunker who has made it his life’s work to keep magic and illusionists honest. But this documentary is not just about his colorful past – but also his brave and defiant present as he navigates the modern world. For more information and screening times visit LoftCinema.com.

The Clouds of Sils Maria

Dior and I

Roar