“Breaking Away” (Thursday, July 3, 7 p.m, Chazen Museum of Art) — I just read in the New Yorker that “Breaking Away” was one of Darren Aronofsky’s favorite films growing up, which is something of a surprise given the dark places that the “Black Swan” and “Requiem for a Dream” director goes. But “Breaking Away” is a lot of people’s favorite films, in part because it mixes a redemptive sports story with a naturalistic look at working-class teens living in a college town. FREE!
“Ida” (All week, Sundance) — My full review is here. At just 80 minutes, you could watch “Ida” twice in the time it would take you to watch “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” And you should. This devastatingly brisk Polish film, with some absolutely stunning black-and-white cinematography, follows a young nun in 1962 trying to learn the fate of her parents, Jews who died during the Nazi occupation.
“Days of Heaven” (Friday, June 27, 7 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre) — Visually stunning shots, unabashed romance, voiceover dialogue — all of Terrence Malick’s craft was in place for this 1978 film, about a fateful love triangle in 19th-century Texas. FREE!
“Rooftop Cinema: The Digital World of Lillian Schwartz” (Friday, June 27, 9:30 p.m., Madison Museum of Contemporary Art) — When we think of computer animation today, we think of Pixar and the like. But Schwartz was exploring the intersection of art and technology way back in the early ’70s, and this screening (closing out the June series) is a bracing look at her work. Admission is FREE for museum members, $7 for all others, and free 3D glasses will be handed out to the first 150 patrons.
“Toy Story” (Monday, June 30, 9:30 p.m., Memorial Union Terrace) — Speaking of Pixar, Lakeside Cinema’s “Feels Like The First Time” series presents what is pretty much the first computer-animated feature, Pixar’s delightful 1995 tale of Woody, Buzz, and the mean kid next door. Nearly twenty years on, some of the animation may seem a little basic (but only a little), but the film’s charm and wit are intact. FREE!