Staff Spotlight: Mike Wilkins

Name: Mike Wilkins, but I’m also known simply as “Pants”. Don’t ask me why, I couldn’t tell ya.

LOFT Staff position: Projectionist/cashier/popcorn connoisseur

I have worked at THE LOFT since: I believe I first started here sometime in late 1999, so going on a decade now!

I grew up in: I was born and raised right here in T-town

Birthday/Age: Beware the ides of March, because I’ll be out celebrating. I’ll be turning 27 soon, and I’m already feeling it in my joints.

When I am not at THE LOFT I: Well, I like to wander aimlessly through the streets of downtown Tucson and peoplewatch a lot, or play music with my band “butterpump”. I like making claymation shorts too, but it requires a lot of free time I usually don’t have.

I work at THE LOFT because: I’ve always loved the loft in its various locations and reincarnations, and I guess just the fact that we show films you can’t see anywhere else in town keeps me excited. That, and the popcorn.

A few of my favorite films are: American Movie, Alice, The Last Waltz, Come and See, In the Realms of the Unreal, The Swimmer, Raising Arizona, Fantastic Planet, Paths of Glory, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, The Cable Guy, Walk Hard, and Allegro non troppo to name just a few.

My favorite directors are: Werner Herzog, Stanley Kubrick, Jan Svankmejer, and Ben Stiller just for Cable Guy… Genius.

My favorite LOFT experience: I’ve had way too many to talk about here, but one of the funniest was the day that the only people to show up to see “Grateful Dawg” all day was the band “Phish” and their roadies. Go figure.

My favorite thing about the Loft: Aside from all the great films I get to see, it’s the customers and co-workers I really appreciate. I’ve met a lot of really awesome people while working here!

Make up your own question here: What’s your ideal night at the theatre? Well, I like to “Tea Off” with a nice Arnold Palmer, then get some Popcorn with Tapatio mixed in it, and watch whatever awesome new documentary is playing with my wife. Then I’ll probably have a PBR or three. What a night!

To get in touch with me send me an email at: wetbreadmusic@hotmail.com

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Because LOFT STAFF love their jobs, opening are infrequent but when we do have something you can find it posted on our website at: http://www.loftcinema.com/employment

If you would like to join our volunteer team please visit our website: www.loftcinema.com

If you are a LOFT member & would like to be featured in our “spotlight” column please email Luanne@loftaz.com

Member Spotlight: Jack Challem

Name: Jack Challem

Hometown: Montreal and Chicago, and several other major stops (e.g., Santa Fe and Portland) en route to Tucson!

Loft member since: at least 2006

Livelihood/occupation/background/job: nutrition and health writer

Favorite genre/s: foreign, indie, sci-fi

Favorite actor/s: Julie Delpy, Juliette Binoche, Frances McDormand, and so many little-knowns

Favorite director/s: Sigh, the late Francois Truffaut

A few of my/our favorite films are: I’ve Loved You So Long, Let the Right One in, After Life, Blue, Departures, Shaun of the Dead, Two Days in Paris (with Two Days being the funniest film I think I’ve ever seen)

I fell in love with films: in the late 1960s, at the Aardvark Cinema in Chicago’s Old Town.

My favorite person to see a film with at The Loft: She knows.

My favorite thing about the Loft: That Tucson just wouldn’t be the same without the Loft Cinema, especially foreign and indie, is probably the most creative of all creative media, a humbling statement coming from a writer and fine-art photographer

To get in touch with Jack: www.nutritionreporter.com

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If you are not a member please consider joining us at: www.loftcinema.com

If you are a member or volunteer of The Loft Cinema & would like to be featured in our “member/volunteer spotlight” column please email Luanne@loftaz.com

A Late Thank You

We were remiss not to post this last week, but a big thank you to the readers of the Tucson Weekly, who voted us Best Movie Theater in Tucson for the seventh year in a row! Here's the blurb:

The Loft is more than a movie theater—it's a celebration of cinema in all its wonder. Besides the rotation of new art films, foreign movies and other top-grade releases, the Loft shows cult movies like The Big Lebowski and Planet of the Apes on weekends; wacky stuff like Plan 9 From Outer Space on Mondo Mondays; cinematic classics—for free!—on Sunday afternoons; and short films by local filmmakers on the first Friday of every month, in a mini-marathon hosted by local cartoonist Max Cannon. And that's not even mentioning the festivals, the contests and the best concession stand in town. What else can we say? Lights, camera, action!