In "Hunting Lands" (9:30 p.m.Thursday), a reclusive military veteran is determined to escape the complexities of modern civilization, but adversity still finds his remote location.
Well, that was fun. The first half of the 27th annual Arizona International Film Festival at the downtown Screening Room brought some surprises, also introduced some new looks and new voices to 21st century cinema.
On the Arizona Shorts program, Nickolas Duarte's poignant “Jay” became a sensitively told testament to one person's incredible courage just to wake up and face each new day.
The feature-length “Rodents of Unusual Size,” from Quinn Costello/Chris Metzler/Jeff Springer, had people talking in the Screening Room lobby. The “rodents” are 10-20 pound nutria, definitely members of the rat family, making a quick climb to the top of the Mississippi delta's food chain.
But humans finally got the edge when they discovered nutria can be good to eat, and wearing nutria fur as a fashion statement isn't politically incorrect.
Continuing this amazing stretch of personality pix was “Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story,” taking viewers into the dreams of several New York women fully committed to increasing the Manhattan popularity of neo-burlesque.
Anyone who has longed to be in show business but doesn't have any particular talent will identify with this desire. Neo-burlesque has room for men, too, which would make a great subject for the sequel.
Peering into the second week of AIFF's schedule, a couple of documentaries jump out. “A Sniper's War,” from Olya Schechter, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, defines the life of a sniper who joins pro-Russian rebels in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict only to find himself questioning if he is a soldier – or just another killer; filmed in Russian with English subtitles.
“Late Blossom Blues,” by Austrial filmmakers Wolfgang Pfoser-Almer and Stefan Wolner screening at 8 p.m. Wednesday, centers on an unknown Mississippi blues singer in his 70s, Leo “Bud” Welch, who finally found popularity in 2013 when he teamed up with a Gulf War veteran who had a knack for music management.
Single tickets are $8 for each show; $6 for seniors, military and students with ID. A Saver Pass is $25, good for any five screenings of your choice.
Advanced tickets can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Marketing and Development Director Mia Schnaible says only half the tickets for each show will be sold in advance, so there will always be tickets on sale one hour before each screening.
“But don't do the Tucson thing and show up five minutes before the movie starts,” says Schnaible. “Those tickets might be gone." There have already been several sold-out screenings.
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