What’s playing in Madison theaters, Nov. 22 to 28

Film-Toronto Preview

All week

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Sundance) — My full review is here. The second installment of the blockbuster series sends Katniss back to the Hunger Games, but goes bigger and deeper than the first film.

The Delivery Man” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — A middle-aged schlub (Vince Vaughn) finds out he’s the biological father of 533 children in this close remake of the Canadian “Starbuck,” by the same director.

Dallas Buyers Club” (Eastgate, Star Cinema, Sundance) — Matthew McConaughey lost 38 pounds to play a rowdy cowboy who learns he has AIDS in this drama.

Kill Your Darlings” (Sundance) — In the third Beat Generation film to play in Madison this year, a college-age Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) gets involved in a murder.

Friday

Reel Love LGBT Film Festival (7 p.m., Union South Marquee, 1308 W. Dayton St.) — Read my article on the festival here. The second day of the four-day festival includes the documentary “I Am Divine,” about John Waters’ cross-dressing muse at 9:30 p.m., and Waters’ “Female Trouble” at midnight. FREE!

Rush to Judgement” (7 p.m., UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall) — Fittingly on the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, Cinematheque is showing this Emile de Antonio documentary that goes down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories surrounding that day. FREE!

Saturday

UW Polish Film Festival (1 p.m., Union South Marquee, 1308 W. Dayton St.) — The annual Polish festival takes over the Marquee for two Saturday afternoons (Nov. 23 and Dec. 7). This Saturday’s offerings include “Loving” (1 p.m.), which looks at husband trying to fight the sexual abuse of his wife, and “In the Name Of,” (3 p.m.), about a priest in rural Poland struggling with his sexuality. FREE!

Reel Love LGBT Film Festival (5:30 p.m., Union South Marquee) — “In the Name Of” leads neatly into Day 3 of the UW’s other big film festival this weekend. Saturday’s offerings include “Wildness” (5:30 p.m.), a documentary about a historic Latino gay bar in Los Angeles, “Love Free Or Die” (7:30 p.m.), a documentary about openly gay Episcopal minister Eugene Robinson, and “Free Fall,” (9:30 p.m.) about a young police officer dealing with new feelings for another man. It all caps off with a midnight showing of the “Sing-A-Long” version of the “Hairspray” remake. FREE!

Scarface” (7 p.m., UW Cinematheque) —  The ‘tek’s series of early Howard Hawks films continues with this iconic portrait of a gangster on the rise, starring Paul Muni as an ambitious hood who rises through the ranks. FREE!

Sunday

The Hidden Fortress” (2 p.m., Chazen Museum of Art, 800 University Ave.) — Kurosawa on the big screen? Sold! The Cinematheque at the Chazen series on Cinemascope wouldn’t be complete without an Akira Kurosawa film, in this case his 1958 samurai tale of two cowardly samurai guarding a wagon full of gold from bandits. FREE!

hiddenfortress

Reel Love LGBT Film Festival (3 p.m., Union South Marquee) — The final day of the festival features “Valentine Road,” (3 p.m.), a heartbreaking documentary about a gay teen bullied to death, and “Cloudburst,” (5 p.m.), a comedy about two elderly lesbians (Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Blethyn) on their way to Canada to finally get married. FREE!

Monday

The Day of the Doctor 3D” — (7:30 p.m., Point and Eastgate) — Doctor Who fans are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show with, among other things, a one-night-only 3D version of the anniversary special in theaters.

Wednesday

Frozen” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — The folks behind “Tangled” deliver another animated holiday treat, as a woman tries to track down her sister, the Snow Queen, and convince her to relinquish her icy spell.

Black Nativity” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”) brings Langston Hughes’ Harlem-set musical to life with an all-star cast that includes Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett.

Homefront” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — A DEA agent (Jason Statham) retires to a small town but has to deal with local criminals, including James Franco as a guy named Gator.

Philomena” (Sundance) — Steve Coogan co-wrote and stars as a journalist who helps an elderly woman (Judi Dench) find the son she was forced to give up for adoption a half-century ago.

The Book Thief” (Sundance) — A German girl hides books, and a Jewish refugee, from the Nazis in this adaptation of the hit young-adult novel.

Elf” (1:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m.  Sundance) — Sundance kicks off its holiday film series with Will Ferrell as a human raised by Santa’s elves, full of holiday cheer if not a lot of common sense.

 

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