Thursday
Limited Partnership (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)
A heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring portrait of hope against discrimination and ignorance, Limited Partnership documents the marriage between Richard Adams and Australian immigrant Tony Sullivan, their subsequent rejection by the INS and the four decades of change that followed. Adams and Sullivan were also behind the first American federal lawsuit pertaining to same-sex marriage, and various community leaders will be in attendance to discuss the film’s issues following the screening. FREE.
All freakin’ weekend
Mad Max: Fury Road (AMC Star, Point, Sundance)
In the latest Hollywood apocalypse, the Road Warrior (Tom Hardy) is branded a universal blood donor for Nicholas Hoult’s dying, pale-faced war brat. It’s up to a small caravan led by bald bad ass Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to book it across the Namibian desert on a two-hour plus race against sand, explosions, and drought. Fury Road has been such an on-again, off-again story of production hell and re-shoots that it’s amazing to see such overwhelmingly positive reviews — and this nearly 30 years after George Miller’s last Mad Max outing, Beyond Thunderdome. Avengers… disperse? (There’s a drive-in caravan this next Saturday. Maybe take the side streets.)
Iris (Sundance)
Bombay Velvet (AMC Star, Point)
This Hindi language period drama sticks two lovers, street fighter (Ranbir Kapoor) and a jazz singer (Anushka Sharma), in the middle of 1960s Bombay.
Far From the Madding Crowd (Sundance)
Lion (Point)
The Muppet Movie (Friday — Sunday — Point)
Marcus Theatres’ “Muppet Mania” is here and this 1979 feature-length debut is movin’ the chain’s four weekends of Henson productions right along. Light on direction and heavy on cameos (including Richard Pryor as a balloon salesman, Madeline Kahn as a saucy bar patron with a lisp, and Steve Martin as a put-upon, shorts-sporting maître d), the admittedly threadbare “origin story” is really just an excuse to get Kermit the Frog, Fozzy Bear, Missy Piggy and Gonzo together as quickly as possible. And to sing along to Paul Williams’ fantastic songwriting. (Check marcustheatres.com for complete listings.)
Pitch Perfect 2 (AMC Star, Point, Sundance)
“The pitch is back,” and if trailers are to believed, so are the puns. 2012’s breakout a cappella comedy, which $65 million later still feels ridiculous to type, gets a sequel and this time, Anna Kendrick and the Barden Bellas are going to the a cappella world championships. There’s sure to be plenty of “a ca” one-liners, self-deprecating “Fat Amy” jokes, European stereotypes and… Clay Matthews? I guess the Packers have to be #1 at group singing, too.
The Surface (Point)
That movie shot in Milwaukee starring Sean Astin? It’s here in Madison and seven months after playing at Cream City’s film festival. The Surface finds Astin and “oh that guy!” Chris Mulkey stranded in the middle of Lake Michigan.
Friday
Traitors (6:45p — Alicia Ashman Library)
A young, punk rocker from Tangiers has her own rebellious bluff called when she’s forced to run a dangerous drug operation to spare her family from eviction. FREE.
Wednesday
The Blues Brothers (2:00p, 7:30p)