Thursday
LakeFrontRow Cinema presents another UW Showcase (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)
Before we take a break for the summer, LakeFrontRow Cinema is once again enlisting the expertise of Aaron Granat for another UW showcase. The evening’s program promises a wide variety of filmmaking from students and artists with UW connections, rounded out by music videos, comedy and documentary shorts and even a few avant-garde pieces. Of course, any remaining time will be dedicated to a Q&A between the filmmakers and audience. We couldn’t be more excited and we’ve got interviews with Erik Sateren and John Powers to prove it. FREE.
All freakin’ weekend
San Andreas (AMC Star, Point, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)
Dwayne Johnson lends his charisma and endless likability to a high-stakes rescue of his estranged wife and daughter (Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario, respectively) in this balls-to-the-wall quake fest. Of course it looks silly, but if Paul Giamatti’s playing a frazzled seismologist, I’m sold.
Aloha (Sundance, AMC Star, Point)
Among the lesser known victims in the Sony security breach, the rom-com formerly known as “Deep Tiki” has contractor Bradley Cooper falling for Emma Stone’s Air Force captain and bumping into ex-fling Rachel McAdams in the middle of paradise. In related news, WTF happened to Cameron Crowe?
Masss (Point)
A man discovers that the three figures following him are spirits and tries to help each of them.
Muppets from Space (Fri – Sun — Point)
With cameos from Ray Liotta, Kathy Griffin and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, this Gonzo-centric Muppet feature is inarguably the weirdest of the bunch. It’s also one of the best. X-Files and Independence Day references are still fun and well, who doesn’t love a hallucinogenic talking fish? The real majesty in Muppets From Space though comes from the series putting its “strength in numbers” thematic obsessions to the test. Gonzo the Great is nobody’s favorite, but a retro-funk alien dance party and a delightfully psychotic Jeffrey Tambor are here to change all that. (Check marcustheatres.com for complete listings)
Friday
Big Trouble in Little China (6:30p — Pinney Library)
Presented FREE by “Cult Night.”
If You Don’t, I Will (6:45p — Alicia Ashman Library)
While out hiking, two lovers (Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric) spontaneously part ways and are left to ponder their decisions — with and without the comfort of the wilderness. The levity in Sophie Fillières’s French comedy doesn’t diminish the depths to which it cuts into romantic existentialism. “Best of the Fests” presents this 2014 Berlin premiere.
Battleship (8:30p — Peace Park Olin Park Pavilion)
Madison Parks’ FREE Moonlight Movies begin anew in Peace Park (452 State St.) Olin Park (1156 Olin-Turville Court) with Peter Berg’s blockbuster that never was. Featuring Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna as a navy weapons specialist, and Liam Neeson at the height of his “ironic action star” powers, Battleship‘s mashup of the classic board game with an alien invasion never quite made sense. If you’re looking for a dumb summer movie and a $15 San Andreas ticket isn’t your bag, here’s the budget option.
Saturday
American Sniper (2:00p — Hawthorne Library)
Barrel-chested in its patriotism and borderline comedic in its action beats, Clint Eastwood’s loose biography of “the most lethal sniper in U.S. history” trades in ghoulish cartoons of the Middle East for a film that still kind of works as an impossible Captain America sequel. In the title role, Bradley Cooper turns in a humble, grizzled performance that holds up even in the face of silly plastic babies (Presented FREE by “Adult Swim”).
Monday
Speed (9:00p — Memorial Union Terrace)
FREE.
Wednesday
Entourage (Sundance, AMC Star, Point)
Hey, you asked for this. Didn’t you?