All week
“The Wind Rises” (Point) — Don’t miss legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki’s supposedly final film, the true-life story of a nearsighted man who becomes an influential plane designer.
Tag Archives: weekend preview
What’s playing in Madison theaters, Feb. 21-27, 2014
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.)
What’s playing in Madison theaters: Feb 14-20, 2014
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!
“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
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.
What’s playing in Madison theaters, Feb. 7-13, 2014
All week
“The Monuments Men” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — Despite a powerhouse cast and an intriguing true-life story (historians try to rescue priceless art stolen by the Nazis), early reviews for this George Clooney-directed drama have not been kind.
What’s playing in Madison theaters: March 8-14, 2013
So I was reading other publications and appreciating how their event listings are broken down day-by-day, so if you were free on a Tuesday night, you could easily see all your options for things to do.
It took me a little while longer before I realized that if I appreciated it so much, I should probably do it too. So I’m tweaking the format of the weekly Friday “What’s Playing” column a little here. This seems to make sense in an especially busy week like this one. Let me know what you think.
All Week
“Oz: The Great And Powerful” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema, Cinema Cafe) — Did you ever wonder how the Wizard of Oz got to be the Wizard? Me neither, but Sam Raimi will tell us with this eye-popping prequel, with James Franco as the Once and Future Wiz. Reviews have been meh, but Raimi is too inventive a filmmaker to count out.
“Dead Man Down” (Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema) — Despite the redundant title, I’m interested in this R-rated action film because it’s the English-language debut of Swedish director Niels Ander Oplev,, who did the superbly creepy original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” (Just watch the underwhelming next two in the trilogy, done by a different director, to properly appreciate it.) So I have high hopes it’ll be stylish and unusual.
“Emperor” (Sundance) — A war drama that takes place after the war is over, “Emperor” stars Tommy Lee Jones as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who has dispatched subordinate Matthew Fox to investigate whether Emperor Hirohito should be arrested for war crimes or not. It’s a little dry, but illuminates a small but important corner of American history. And Jones as MacArthur is a lot of fun.
“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” (Sundance) — Read my review here. The happy people in question are a group of Siberian villagers living a harsh but self-sufficient life on the edge of the tundra. In the eyes of documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog, this counts as happiness. Your bliss may vary.
Friday
“The Master” (6 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre, 1308 W. Dayton St.) Read my review here. My favorite movie of 2012 was Paul Thomas Anderson’s cryptic, exquisitely controlled drama about the complicated relationship between an L. Ron Hubbard-like cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a troubled acolyte (Joaquin Phoenix) he brings into the fold. Free!
“Edvard Munch” (7 p.m., UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.) The on-campus series concludes its two-night look at the films of Peter Watkins with his highly unorthodox biopic of the notorious painter behind “The Scream.” Free!
“Drunken Master” (midnight, Union South Marquee Theatre) If you only know Jackie Chan from the “Rush Hour” movies, you ought to see him in his prime in this martial arts classic, one of the first to play to Chan’s comedic as well as physical gifts. Free!
Saturday
“The Master” (6 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre) See Friday listing.
“The Mercenary” (7 p.m., UW Cinematheque) Remember that scene in “Django Unchained” where a character gets shot above the heart, and the blood turns his white carnation pink? That was a direct homage to this spaghetti Western classic, starring Jack Palance as a ruthless government agent trying to put down a revolution in 1915 Mexico. Free!
“The Host” (midnight, Union South Marquee Theatre) Read my review here. It’s a monster movie, a family drama, a screwball comedy and a political film all rolled up into one wildly entertaining movie from South Korean director Joon-ho Bong. “Packs an emotional kick that we don’t expect from a movie where a giant iguana is running around with human legs dangling out of his mouth like stray pieces of linguini,” I wrote back in 2007.
Sunday
“Pom Poko: ( 2 p.m., Chazen Museum of Art, 800 University Ave.) The “Cinematheque at the Chazen” Sunday afternoon series of films by the hallowed Studio Ghibli continues with this take of raccoon-like creatures and their war with developers. Free!
“The Master” (3 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre) See Friday listing.
Monday
No shows
Tuesday
“Girl Rising” (7:30 p.m. Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave.) To underscore the importance of education for girls in developing countries, this project features nine stories of nine young women in nine different countries, each narrated by a different actress, including Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Wednesday
“West Side Story” (1:10 p.m. and 6:40 p.m., Sundance Cinemas, 430 N. Midvale Blvd.) If you enjoyed the reimagined Broadway version that just played at Overture Center, check out the original 1962 film version, that brings the tragic romance of “Romeo & Juliet” to the barrio. Tickets are $7.50 for the 1:10 p.m. show and $12 for the 6:40 p.m.
“Roman Holiday” (7 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre) Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck star in the 1953 classic romance about a princess and a foreign correspondent who find adventure and love together in Rome. Free!
“True Wolf” (7 p.m., Barrymore Theatre) The Timber Wolf Alliance is co-sponsoring this documentary about the plight of the wolf in the United States. After the film, a panel of wolf researchers will hold a post-show Q&A. $10 at the door.
Thursday
“Ek Tha Tiger” (7 p.m., Union South Marquee Theatre) Intrigue, romance, action and, of course, dancing collide in this Bollywood thriller about a secret agent and a dancer in a globe-hopping adventure. Free!
The 6th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival (7 p.m., Barrymore Theatre) This popular series features short films from within and beyond Wisconsin’s borders about the natural world. Tickets are $10 in advance through barrymorelive.com., $13 at the door, or a $25 VIP ticket includes a one-year membership with the sponsor, River Alliance of Wisconsin.
“The President Vanishes” ( 7 p.m. Chazen Museum of Art) In an attempt to thwart warmongers in his cabinet, the President fakes his own disappearance. This film is one of a series of 1934 films screened by the Chazen and UW-Cinematheque in conjunction with the “1934: A New Deal For Artists” exhibit at the museum. Free!
“Brew & View: A Tribute To Leslie Nielsen” (7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 115 King St.) You mean to tell me that the Majestic is honoring the deadpan comic actor by presenting his two iconic movies, “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun,” in a double feature with a ticket price of $5 for both movies? Surely you can’t be serious!
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