‘Tepepa,’ giant rats, and superheroes of every stripe
Thursday
Deadly Eyes (6:30p — Central Library, Rm 302)
After the 70s martial arts classic Enter the Dragon, Robert Clouse fell down in respectability. A long way down. The guy responsible for birthing Gymkata also directed an adaptation of James Herbert’s pulpy political critique The Rats. Far less political and far more pulpy, this “Bad Cinema” presentation is infamous for both being shunned by Herbert himself and for its novel use of dressing wiener dogs in giant rat costumes. Charming. And FREE.
Tepepa (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
From Falstaff to Hank Quinlan to Gregory Arkadin, Orson Welles was no stranger to the monolithic role. One of his strangest however came courtesy of Giulio Petroni’s Italo-Mexican Spaghetti Western. As the cigar chomping Colonel Cascorro, Welles plays nemesis to Zapata revolutionary Tepepa (Tomas Milian), both onscreen and off. In fact, Welles’ frigid disposition towards his co-star irked Petroni enough to leave in a shot of the actor tripping on camera purely out of spite. Cinematheque dusts off another Wellesian entry, complete with music by the inimitable Ennio Morricone. (FREE)
RiffTrax Encore: Sharknado 2 (7:30p — Point)
All freakin’ weekend
Trainwreck (Sundance, AMC Star, Point, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)
Thanks to WUD Film’s sneak preview this spring, we now know that Amy Schumer’s hyped screenwriting debut doesn’t hold a candle to her cynically subversive Comedy Central program. That said, Trainwreck proves the comedian has the writing and acting chops to hack it in Hollywood, playing a flaky journalist who second-guesses her boyfriend-free philosophy when she’s tasked with a cover story on Bill Hader’s sports medicine doctor. Thankfully, you’ll have to go elsewhere for your summer slut-shaming.
Ant-Man (Sundance, AMC Star, Point, Stoughton Cinema Cafe)
I like Paul Rudd. Even as Scott Lang, an ace burglar who’s taken under the wing of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to become the Ant-Man, Earthiest tiniest hero who … oh what’s the point. After a falling out between the original director and Marvel Studios, what was once Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man joins Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune and Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon in a long line of what-could’ve-beens. Instead, the end of the MCU’s “Phase Two” comes by way of Bring It On director Peyton Reed, a respectable movie in its own right. (I’m trying to stay positive here. It’s what Edgar would’ve wanted.)
Mr. Holmes (AMC Star)
After playing a wizened king, a wizened mutant, and a wizened wizard, Ian McKellen throws the vehicle in reverse as the legendary Arthur Conan Doyle character. Now in his twilight years, an aging and increasingly forgetful Sherlock Holmes clears out the cobwebs to solve the mystery that put an end to his sleuthing.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (AMC Star)
Salman Khan helps a young mute woman (Kareena Kapoor) from India find her family in Pakistan.
Get Hard (AMC Star)
Fri-Sun at 12:00p and Mon-Thurs at 12:00p and 10:00p. $5.
Friday
Mr. Freedom (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
1960s master of subversion William Klein gives patriotism the ole one-finger salute in this tongue-in-cheek spoof of “‘Merica” and (presumably) anyone who finds amusement in saying “‘Merica.” As Mr. Freedom, John Abbey dons starred-and-striped football pads and teams up with Delphine Seyrig’s wig-sporting siren to “fight” communism in deliciously cartoonish fashion. Finally, a superhero movie I can get behind. (FREE)
The Bakery Girl of Monceau + Vivre sa vie (Sundown — Madison Sourdough)
Madison Sourdough’s latest confection? A FREE movie series on the patio, which kicks off with a Rohmer/Godard double bill.
Sunday
The Spongebob Movie (10:00a — Point)
$3.
Double Indemnity (2:00p, 7:00p — Point)
TCM presents this Billy Wilder classic starring Fred MacMurray as an insurance huckster gets in on a scheme with Barbara Stanwyck to off her husband and collect on his rather sizable policy.
Monday
The Spongebob Movie (10:00a — Point)
$3.
Double Indemnity (2:00p, 7:00p — Point)
Wall-E (9:00p — Memorial Union Terrace)
As an irresistibly charming waste management robot, Wall-E is the lovable center of Pixar’s imagined future, a future in which humans are overweight, addicted to screens and fully dependent on automated technologies. We’ve only got two out of those three still, right? (FREE).
Tuesday
Independence Day Brew ‘n View (8:00p — Majestic Theatre)
In the event that we ever encounter alien life, I’d like to think we’ll have a more diplomatic way of making friends than Roland Emmerich’s idea of first contact. On the other hand, punching an alien still looks really cool, Doors at 7:30p. (FREE.)
Wednesday
The Spongebob Movie (10:00a — Point)
$3.
Double Indemnity (2:15p, 7:55p — Sundance)
A Summer’s Tale (7:00p — 4070 Vilas Hall)
Criterion geeks have salivated over the thought of Eric Rohmer’s French dramedy coming to the Collection for some time now; this DCP restoration is a big reason why. A young man (Melvil Poupaud) has a simple afternoon complicated when he meets two enchanting women while waiting for an iffy paramour. (FREE)