Category Archives: Weekend Preview

The five movies you need to see in Madison, May 9-15, 2014

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“Neighbors” (all week, Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Sundance) — My full review is here. The studio comedy is on the ropes (or maybe you’re looking forward to seeing that “Blended” thing with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore?) so when a good one comes along it’s worth pointing out. Nick Stoller’s consistently funny film, about a turf war between new parents (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) and the frat next-door (led by Zac Efron) exists in the Apatowverse of raunch and sweetness, but it’s tighter than an Apatow epic. Plus, it offers a great comic role to Byrne that basically thumbs its nose at all the underwritten “wife” roles in most other comedies. Take note, Sandler.

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The five movies you have to see in Madison: May 2-8, 2014

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“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (all week, Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Sundance) — It’s a rainy Friday with a high of 57 degrees, which can only mean one thing — it’s summer movie season in Wisconsin! After months of promos (and some not very kind early reviews), the sequel to the reboot of the film version of the comic book is here. For Madisonians, the big draw is that hometown by Marc Webb returns as director — the first “Amazing” was most notable for its sweet and funny relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. In the sequel, which has at least three villains and all sorts of connections to the larger Marvelverse, I hope that doesn’t get lost in the CGI shuffle.

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The five movies you need to see in Madison this week: April 25, 2014

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“Mood Indigo” (9:15 p.m. Friday, Union South Marquee, fREE) — I’ve stuck with Michel Gondry even in times when I probably shouldn’t have (“Be Kind Rewind”), because the French music video director turned filmmaker brings such sheer playfulness to his films, even if (maybe especially if) the subjects underneath are pretty serious. So I’m excited to hear that his new film, “Mood Indigo,” is something of a return to form for him, starring Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris as a love-dappled French couple whose life turns darker when it’s discovered she has a disease. But it’s Gondry, so the disease is caused by a flower growing in her chest. “Mood Indigo” is getting its Wisconsin premiere as part of the WUD Film Mini Indie Film Festival, which seems like a big get.

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The five movies you need to see in Madison this week: April 18, 2014

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I’m going to try something different here. Regular readers of the blog will know I usually post a “What’s Playing” column on Friday mornings, running down all the movies that will play in Madison in the next week. Extremely regular readers will also know that I haven’t done a “What’s Playing” column in the last few weeks.

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What’s playing in Madison theaters, March 7-13, 2014

300: BATTLE OF ARTEMESIUM

All week

“300: Rise of An Empire” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Sundance, Cinema Cafe) — Not a sequel, but a “sidequel” to the 2007 shirts-and-skins action epic, looking at another battle supposedly going on concurrently to the one in the first movie. Un-huh. But signifcantly, this is the first film screening in Point’s new Ultrascreen DLX that was recorded in the amazing Dolby Atmos. So it’ll seem like there are hot shirtless guys all around you!

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What’s playing in Madison theaters, Feb. 21-27, 2014

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All week

“Pompeii” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — What’s the only thing that can stop a Roman slave from rescuing his true love from the clutches of a cruel rich man? An erupting volcano, obviously! This will be the first film at Point to be shown in its brand-new Ultrascreen DLX theater, featuring Dolby Atmos sound and leather electric recliners, but the film is not in Dolby Atmos. The recliners should work fine, however. (The first flick to show off Atmos at Point will be “300: Rise of an Empire” on March 7, which is ironic, since I believe Star Cinema used the original “300” to show off its IMAX screen to critics.)

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What’s playing in Madison theaters: Feb 14-20, 2014

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All week

“About Last Night” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — The first of two remakes of ’80s romances seems like the much better one, as director Steve Pink (“Hot Tub Time Machine”) and screenwriter Leslye Headland (“Bachelorette”) deliver a caustic and funny take on the rom-com.

“Endless Love” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — And this would be the lesser one, a drippy-looking remake of the Brooke Shields movie about star-crossed lovers.

“Winter’s Tale” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Cinema Cafe) — Mark Helprin’s book is supposed to be great, but Akiva Goldsman’s adaptation of the romantic fantasy is supposed to be uber-schmaltzy.

“The Armstrong Lie” (Sundance) — Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney intended to make a fluffy film about Lance Armstrong’s comeback. But then the doping scandal broke, and the film digs into the story behind the story.

“2014 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Documentary” (Sundance) — My full review is here. The five Oscar-nominated shorts are presented Friday through Sunday only, including “Facing Fear” from UW graduate Jason Cohen.

“Gunday” (Star Cinema) — Two Calcutta refugees grow up to become power players and folk heroes in this Bollywood film.

Friday

“Before Midnight” (7 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre, 1208 W. Dayton St.) — My full review is here. Have a realistic Valentine’s Day with the third film in Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) walk and talk — and fight — in Greece. FREE!

“Barry Lyndon” (7 p.m., UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall) — Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the William Thackeray novel about a picaresque adventurer (Ryan O’Neal) is presented here in a restored print. FREE!

“Moonrise Kingdom” (7 p.m., Alicia Ashman Public Library, 733 N. High Point Road) — With “The Grand Budapest Hotel” coming next month, revisit Wes Anderson’s last movie, an enchanting tale of adolescent love amid middle-aged disappointment. FREE!

“Short Term 12” (9:30 p.m., Union South) — My full review is here. In an alternate, slightly better reality, Brie Larson is up for an Oscar for her gritty performance as a counselor at a group home for troubled kids who is dealing with her own issues. FREE!

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“Miss Congeniality” (midnight, Union South) — Sandra Bullock is an FBI agent who goes undercover at a beauty pageant in this 2000 comedy, featuring a great comic performance by Michael Caine. FREE!

Saturday

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (10 a.m., Point and Eastgate) — My full review is here. This sequel to “The Lightning Thief” feels a little cut-rate, preciously short on both sea and monsters. Only two bucks, though.

“Before Sunrise” (6 p.m., Union South) — The Marquee is featuring all three “Before” films in a row, starting with the 1995 first film in which Jesse and Celine spend a magical day together in Vienna. FREE!

“The Summer of Flying Fish” (7 p.m, UW Cinematheque) — A double feature of new Chilean films begins with this drama about a rich teen who gets involved in her father’s war against the local natives. FREE!

“Before Sunset” (8 p.m., Union South) — Now it’s nine years later, and Jesse and Celine reunite in Paris to talk about what’s happened since last they met — and whether they might have a future together. FREE!

“Thursday Till Sunday” (8:45 p.m, UW Cinematheque) — An estranged couple take their kids on a last-ditch road trip across Chile in this elegant road movie. FREE!

“Before Midnight” (9:30 p.m., Union South) — They do. See Friday listing.

“Supercop” (midnight, Union South) — Some Jackie Chan in his prime, featuring some truly incredible stunts, sounds like a perfect midnight movie. FREE!

Sunday

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (11 a.m, Point and Eastgate) — See Saturday listings.

“Shadow of a Doubt” (2 p.m, Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.) — Joseph Cotten plays a suspected murderer who returns to his hometown in this film that Hitchcock said was his favorite. FREE!

“Before Sunrise” (2 p.m., Union South) — See Saturday listing.

“Before Sunset” (4 p.m., Union South) — See Saturday listing.

“Before Midnight” (5:30 p.m., Union South) — See Friday listing.

Monday

“The Hunt” (Monday through Thursday, Point and Eastgate) — My full review is here. Mads Mikkelsen plays a schoolteacher wrongly accused of abuse whose community turns against him in this Oscar-nominated drama.

Thursday

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Guy Maddin on “Loss in the Cinema” (6 p.m, L160 Elvehjem Building, 750 University Ave.) — The director of “My Winnipeg” and “Brand Upon The Brain!” gives a talk on the nature of loss in his films. FREE!

“The Burning” (6:30 p.m., Madison Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin) — The library’s Bad Cinema series tackles its first horror film, and of course it takes place at a summer camp. FREE!

“Inequality For All” (7 p.m., Union South) — Robert Reich tackles the widening gap between rich and poor in this engaging and eye-opening documentary. FREE!

“The Hunt” (9:30 p.m., Union South) — See Monday listing.